Liberia: 'The State Will Either Prosecute or Release'

What the report says

Liberian Observer, republished by AllAfrica, reports that Cllr. Betty M. Lamin-Blamo, Liberia’s nominee for minister of justice and attorney general, told a Senate confirmation hearing in Monrovia on 29 October 2026 that she would review pretrial detention cases nationwide if confirmed. She said the justice system must either move cases forward or release people in line with the law, and pointed to overcrowded prisons and a large share of detainees who have not yet been tried.

According to the article, Lamin-Blamo said 2,848 of 4,125 people in Liberia’s prisons as of September 2026 were pretrial detainees. She highlighted Monrovia Central Prison as especially strained, with 1,888 inmates and 1,312 awaiting trial. She argued that delays hurt poor defendants most, especially those unable to afford lawyers or bond, and said she would work with the judiciary, public defenders, the bar association and legal aid groups to widen case reviews and speed up hearings.

Lamin-Blamo also outlined broader reform plans, including more magistrate and circuit court sittings, a prison capacity assessment, and support for a proposed correctional facility at Cheesemanburg. She said she would seek more prosecutors, better pay and stronger coordination between police and prosecutors, and she cited her record as former solicitor general. The nominee further pledged tougher action on corruption, asset recovery and drug trafficking, while saying prosecutions should be based on evidence rather than politics.