Liberians are becoming reluctant to serve as jurors after 15 people were jailed following a not-guilty verdict in a high-profile national security spending case, raising concerns that jury shortages could slow the country’s justice system.
The latest sign came in Margibi County, where a judge jailed five prospective jurors for 14 days after they refused to serve when summoned by the National Jury Management Office. A sixth person was imprisoned for allegedly impersonating a prospective juror, according to a statement from the court.
Judge Roosevelt Z. Willie of the 13th Judicial Circuit Court acted on Thursday, Aug. 13, after the Jury Management Office, led by Cllr. Andrew Nimley, reported that some summoned citizens had declined to participate.
Liberia’s Jury Law requires eligible citizens to serve unless formally excused. Under Section 18.6, anyone who refuses without an exemption may be fined $100, or its equivalent in Liberian dollars, or sentenced to 14 days in prison.
The crackdown follows a July 21 ruling in Monrovia, where Criminal Court “C” Judge Ousman F. Feika ordered the arrest and detention of jurors who had returned a mixture of verdicts including a not-guilty verdict in favor of former Finance Minister Samuel Tweah and another person.
The jurors were recalled nearly two weeks after delivering their verdict and returning to their communities to face allegations of misconduct. Three jurors who had voted in favor of the prosecution filed the complaints, according to court documents.
The defendants and their lawyers were not accused of wrongdoing. The Justice Ministry, which led the prosecution, later released the three jurors who supported the government’s case, while the remaining jurors stayed in detention pending an investigation.
The episode appears to have deepened public anxiety over jury service, with citizens now facing the prospect of arrest or investigation over verdicts that do not satisfy prosecutors or fellow jurors. If the reluctance spreads, courts could struggle to assemble panels, delaying criminal trials and worsening Liberia’s existing judicial bottlenecks.
