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The newly nominated Minister of Justice and Attorney-General, Cllr. Christiana Tarr, appearing before the Liberian Senate Committee on Judiciary Petitions and Claims on Thursday says she will review the country’s justice system to assist government deal with overlapping of functions.
Among areas of consideration, she said will include the Liberian National Police (LNP), Bureau of Immigration and Naturalization (BIN), and National Security Agency (NSA).
Counselor Tarr, who is also a sociologist, said if she is confirmed by the senate, she will engage in measures to identify and redefine the statutory roles of the various security agencies and their mode of operations.
The Justice Minister-designate said that she will put into place appropriate training programs for officers from the LNP, BIN, NSA, and other related security agencies that are integral part of the criminal justice system.
Cllr. Tarr however said such training activities will have to be supported by the government with adequate funds, if they must confront the growing level of criminalities in Liberia.
“Our security institutions should be logistically and financially supported by the Legislature by allotting some substantial and reasonable amount of money for these security institutions in the 2009-2010 fiscal budgets,” the newly nominated Justice Minister said.
Cllr. Tarr also informed the senate that her agenda includes reforming the justice system and building the prosecutorial capacities of state lawyers through relevant judicial and security training programs.
She said an effective criminal justice system is very expensive, appealing to the Legislature to take the issues of security budget very seriously.
Cllr. Tarr said that if endorsed, her administration will also consider rehabilitating inmates at the various prison centers in the country in various vocation or agricultural programs to make them productive citizens.
She added that the country’s justice system is weak because of lack of appropriate programs, coupled with logistical and financial constraints facing post-war Liberia.
Cllr. Tarr assured the Senate that Liberian borders and all other entry points will be protected, saying, nobody will be prosecuted in the absence of probable cause as required by law.
Cllr. Tarr holds two separate Master’s degrees in both Law and Sociology, a Bachelor of Law degree (LLB) from the Louis Arthur Grimes School of Law at the University of Liberia. She once served as an Assistant Minister of Justice of Liberia. She also did Immigration Law and operated a private Law Firm in the United States.
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