Liberia Supreme Court weighs parliament order defiance
Justices will decide if the House of Representatives legally expelled lawmaker Yekeh Kolubah after receiving a court order.
Liberia’s Supreme Court reserved judgment on Thursday in a case questioning if the House of Representatives defied a court order by expelling lawmaker Yekeh Kolubah in April. The court must determine if House leadership was properly served with a Supreme Court order to halt proceedings against Kolubah before his expulsion. If served, the vote to remove the outspoken representative may have breached a judicial directive.
Kolubah, who represented District 10 of Montserrado County, was expelled after making a controversial statement about the Makona River boundary dispute. His lawyers sought a writ of prohibition, leading Associate Justice Yussif D. Kaba to grant an order on April 16, summoning House leaders and staying further proceedings. However, the House claims it was never properly served, citing its own rules that designate the Sergeant-at-Arms as the sole recipient of court orders, not a receptionist in the Speaker’s office.
The House expelled Kolubah on April 17 with a resolution signed by 49 of its 73 members, stating his removal was for unpatriotic acts. Justice Kaba had previously dismissed a complaint for improper service, but Kolubah appealed to the full bench. His legal team argued that Liberia’s Civil Procedure Law, not the House’s internal rules, should govern the validity of service, pointing to the delivery of the document to the Speaker’s office.
Why it mattersThe Supreme Court's decision will determine if the House of Representatives acted lawfully in expelling a member after a judicial order was issued.