20 March 2018, Monrovia – UNMIL Deputy Special Representative of the Secretary-General (DSRSG) for Political and Rule of Law, Mr. Waldemar Vrey on behalf of the United Nations Mission in Liberia (UNMIL) handed over printed ledgers, case files and Sentencing Guideline booklets to judges in Liberia.
The handover transpired during a two day training instructed by the Judicial Training Institute in collaboration with Human Rights Protection Service (HRPS)/Justice on Sentencing Guidelines to Judges in Liberia.
“The strict adherence to the guidelines and the proper exercise of judicial discretion, should reduce, if not completely eliminate the current situation where there are discrepancies in how sentencing is done across Circuit Courts,”- said Mr. Vrey.
The joint-project was funded by UNMIL’s QIP which aimed to promote uniformity, provide easy tracking and appropriate and secured storage of all information pertaining to official judicial functions.
The project aims to maintain an effective recordkeeping system in the Circuit Courts within 12 Counties of Liberia as well as to reduce disparity in Circuit Courts sentencing of offenders convicted of serious crimes of similar nature or the same offense by the development of a standardized and uniform sentencing guidelines booklet and capacity-building for Trial Judges on the application of sentencing guidelines.
