MONROVIA – Minister of Mines and Energy Wilmot J.M. Paye has taken a public swipe at the Supreme Court of Liberia, accusing the nation’s highest judicial body of deepening the legislative crisis through what he called contradictory and confusing rulings.
In a sharply worded statement released Wednesday, Paye claimed that the Supreme Court has become the first in the world to issue “two separate opinions on the same matter,” a move he believes has not brought clarity but rather plunged the country further into legal and political uncertainty.
“The Supreme Court of Liberia, by its majority opinion on Wednesday, April 23, 2025, becomes the first Supreme Court in the world to render two separate opinions on the same matter,” Paye wrote. “This has made the quagmire in the Legislature even more complicated, if not impossible, for resolution any time soon.”
Paye questioned the coherence of the Court’s decisions, implying that the Justices themselves appear more uncertain than the Liberian public. “How could members of the Supreme Court be more confused than the public?” he asked.
His comments come in the wake of the Court’s ruling affirming Speaker J. Fonati Koffa’s legitimacy while also declaring the actions of the majority bloc of lawmakers who have opposed Koffa as unconstitutional. The ruling was expected to settle the months-long standoff in the House of Representatives, but reactions like Paye’s suggest the verdict has only fueled deeper controversy.
Paye’s remarks mark a rare public rebuke of the judiciary by a sitting cabinet minister and raise questions about the Boakai administration’s internal cohesion, especially as the executive branch faces increasing pressure to restore legislative order and uphold constitutional norms.
It remains to be seen how the Supreme Court will respond to such criticism from a high-ranking government official, or whether Paye’s statements reflect broader dissatisfaction within the ruling Unity Party. The political impasse in the Legislature continues to cripple legislative activities and further strain Liberia’s fragile democratic institutions.
