TRC Rejects Badio's Claim
The Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC) has clarified that Presidential Press Secretary, Cyrus Badio and Unity Party (UP) chairman Charles Clark's comment made recently that the chairman of the TRC, Cllr. Jerome Verdier claimed to have extraordinary power as chairman, is false and misleading.
In a release issued yesterday, TRC maintained that at no time did chairman Verdier make the comment referenced to him by the press secretary nor was its chairman ever granted extraordinary powers beyond that which is granted the chairman and the commission by the TRC Act of 2005 and its rules and procedures.
“The chairman has a responsibility to provide leadership for the commission and to adopt measures to protect the integrity of the commission in consultation with all commissioners as was done in the case regarding the suspension of Commissioner Pearl Brown Bull,” the release noted in a release.
TRC averred in a release that it is an independent commission established to investigate and document Liberia's legacy of past human rights abuses, redress these wrongs and make recommendations to combat impunity, restore the dignity of victims, help perpetrators to regain their humanity and the reform of public institutions to avoid a relapse to violent conflict and abuses of the past.
“TRC wishes to categorically state that it will never compromise its independence or allow its independence to be compromised by the acts, conducts or views of any one, institutions or persons; to this the commission will dispense its duties, functions, powers and responsibilities to the people of Liberia without fear or favor,” TRC asserted in the release.
TRC further indicated that the action of indefinite suspension against commissioner Pearl Brown Bull was a decision of the commission by vote and not a singular decision of the chairman of the commission pursuant to clear and unambiguous provisions of the TRC act and its rules and procedures.
The release stated that pursuant to the independence of the commission, its commissioners were publicly vetted by a “selection panel” and were never made subjects of confirmation hearings at the national legislature pursuant to sections 8, 9, 14 and 16 of the TRC Act. And that more, members of the TRC can only be removed by impeachment before the national legislature in the same manner as justices of the Supreme Court of Liberia and not by the President of Liberia.
TRC is encouraging all Liberians irrespective of roles played during the conflict, or status in society to support the work of the commission as that necessary step towards establishing lasting peace, security, unity and reconciliation in Liberia .
TRC further mentioned that it rejects any and all attempts to interfere with its work and politicize its processes as a way to influencing its outcome.
Commissioner Bull was recently suspended by the TRC Chairman on ground that she occupies two positions, something that is forbidden by TRC. TRC requested her to decide to either remain as a Commissioner or resign her post for the other job.
