By Gideon Nma Scott, Jr.
As a child, there was a common saying that to enter the Temple of Justice that houses the Supreme Court of Liberia, on had to wear RED SHOES. A commoner would say in the Liberian jargon, Kearay yor trobo yah, I nah geh RAY SHOE to go Supreme Court.”
The red shoes story scared many persons who had issue with the law to seek adequate redress to their issues. Some only said, “I leave my own to God,” and thereby lived with the hurt with nowhere to seek justice.
I have spoken with many senior persons including prelates, marketers, taxi drivers to verify the wearing of red shoes to enter Supreme Court issue, but all seem not to authenticate the issue.
The Rev. Canon Hne Coleman, the issue of wearing of red shoes to go to the Supreme Court was only used to indicate how expensive it was to pursue your case at the court and they equated the court expensive with buying a pair of Red Shoes, saying, “If you calculated the amount of money you would pay for justice at the Supreme Court, you would rather buy a pair of red shoes.”
Canon Coleman is the Vicar General (VG) of the Anglican Church in Liberia, under the diocese of Ibadan in Nigeria.
Also, 78 years John Sacky who claimed to be a taxi driver in the late 1960s up to the early 1980s claimed that he had an issue with one of his neighbors and contemplated on seeking redress to the Supreme Court but was warned by a family member that he did not have a pair of red shoes and that his case would be not be listened to without a red pair of shoes.
The Red shoes Store on the Camp Johnson Road sold various high quality of red shoes extravagantly that only people of means could afford.
Though the Red Shoes versus Supreme Court issues was a more or less something to scare away many persons from seeking justice, the courts in most part of Liberia could be monetizing the red shoes dilemma to bring back the fear tactics as t was done in yesteryears.
A 32-year-old alleged rapist was transferred to the St. Bridge Magisterial Court by the Liberia National Police Zone 7 Depot on Saturday, June 14, 2024. Upon entering the court, the sheriff requested the victim to pay to the court an amount of US$10 to convey the perpetrator to the Monrovia Central Prison, pay another L$500 for folder to file her papers. There was another rape case and each was charged with the same amount.
Previously, at the Zone 7 Police Depot, the police asked the victim to transport one of her assailants to the magisterial court, something she claimed that neither she nor her parents were prepared to do. When a family member contested the police request, some police officers at the desk grandiloquently threatened to release the alleged gang rapist if she (the victim) did not comply. The police officers furthered threatened to incarcerate the family member who was bent on not giving money to the police to transport the assailant of his relative.
The family member contended that the operation of the police, including logistics, which is a bureau under the Ministry of Justice (MOJ), is covered in the national budget of the Republic of Liberia and described the action of the police and courts of requesting money from people seeking justice as injudicious, inhumane and a way to deny them from pursuing the cause.
The situation with the alleged gang rapist validates the many complaints from around the country that many indigents are denied justice or are discouraged from pursuing their cases at the courts with the alleged request of huge sums money from rule of law and court actors.
The allegation of the sale of justice by police and judicial actors is alarming and concerning that the police, which is the entry to the rule of law system and is mandated to protect lives and properties and, the court which is the custodian of justice to be engage in such unwholesome practices.
I believe that the Boakai-Koung government is here to Rescue and the sale of justice should be one of the things that should claim their attention and, as it is said by the court, the requisite authorities of these institutions should take judicious notice and ensure that such acts are discouraged within the systems.
*The thought of the son of a professional Kru woman.
