• Taylor’s deal pure propaganda –Wean, Source: The New Dawn
• Peacebuilding technical group calls on political parties to abide by rule of law, Source: FrontPage Africa
• Daily OBSERVER Gbarpolu correspondent missing, Source: Daily OBSERVER
• Court staff warned against extortion, Source: The New Dawn
• Judge Nuta Returns to Judicial Functions Following Suspension, Source: FrontPage Africa
• Doing Business 2018 Report: Has Liberia Made Impactful Reforms?, Source: The Bush Chicken

LIBERIA MEDIA HIGHLIGHTS

Taylor’s deal pure propaganda –Wean, Source: The New Dawn

Coalition for Democratic Change (CDC) standard bearer George Wean has denied that he is seeking the return of convicted former President Charles Taylor to Liberia. In a VOA interview Monday, Senator Wean says reports about him facilitating Mr. Taylor's return are "propaganda" and "fallacy."

The former chief of investigations for the United Nations Special Court for Sierra Leone, Alan White, recently told the VOA that Wean, if elected, wants to bring Taylor back to Liberia. "It is incredulous," White notes, saying anyone would attempt "to bring back a convicted war criminal that would be a threat not only to Liberia but also to the entire region."

Senator Weah's running mate is Mr. Taylor's ex-wife, Jewel Howard Taylor. White claims that she talked openly during a campaign stop about bringing back her husband's policies. Read more

Peacebuilding technical group calls on political parties to abide by rule of law, Source: FrontPage Africa

Political parties have been told to uphold the rule of law in the stalemate surrounding the runoff presidential election. The Technical Working Group on Peacebuilding and Reconciliation in Liberia made the call recently in a release while also urging the parties to respect the outcome of the election fraud and irregularities claim being investigated by the National Elections Commission (NEC). It meanwhile expressed the need to strengthen the early warning response systems through the county security council and county peacebuilding committee to prevent any election-related violence.

Daily OBSERVER Gbarpolu correspondent missing, Source: Daily OBSERVER

The Daily Observer has reported that its Gbarpolu County correspondent, Micah Yeahwon is missing days he voted in the 0ctober 10 presidential and legislative elections. Damo Yanquoi, a fellow correspondent in the county told the Daily Observer newspaper.  Micah’s wife, according to Damo Yanquoi, a fellow correspondent in the county, informed him that her husband left Gbarpolu for Monrovia to attend to some family matters but she has not heard from him since. Read more     

Court staff warned against extortion, Source: The New Dawn

Liberian judges are warning court clerks, support staff, and bailiffs to stop going around begging and extorting money or gas slips from party litigants by falsely using the names of judges. Delivering a charge on behalf of judges at the opening of Circuit Courts on Monday, Criminal Court "C" resident judge A. Blamo Dixon warned that court officers should not abuse or take advantage of the rotational system of circuit judges which is provided for in Section 3.9 of the New Judiciary Law of Liberia. "Remain at your assigned court and stop going to other courts to hustle for the weekend. Stop using the names of Judges to beg, collect or extort money from Party Litigants because such act has the tendency to put Judges at loggerheads," Judge Dixon warns in the charge.

He advises court staff against living above their income to destroy themselves and other innocent employees and judges, adding "If you have a car that you owned or bought through an action from any other court in the Temple of Justice and you are unable to service or maintain that car, sell it and stop going around and begging and extorting money and gas slips from arty Litigants..." Read more

Judge Nuta Returns to Judicial Functions Following Suspension, Source: FrontPage Africa

The Supreme Court has lifted the suspension of Criminal Court ‘B’ resident judge Korboi Nuta who was suspended for by the court for ethical transgression. Reports say Judge Nuta was among judges that attended the opening ceremony of the November term of court on Monday. But a request by Bong County Representative George Mulbah to the House Judicial Committee to prepare an impeachment proceeding against the judge was denied. Read more

INTERNATIONAL MEDIA ON LIBERIA

Doing Business 2018 Report: Has Liberia Made Impactful Reforms?, Source: The Bush Chicken

The 15th iteration of the Doing Business Report, a flagship product of the World Bank Group, has been released, with Liberia placing 172nd. That rank is two places higher than the previous year when the country ranked 174th out of 190 economies worldwide.

The Doing Business 2018 Report focused on helping economies change and impact their communities, with a theme of ‘reforming to create jobs.’ Countries were ranked based on regulatory areas through improved and objective measures that are investigated for procedures that enhance business activity and those that hinder it, as measured by its latest report, Doing Business 2018. The findings rate the efficiency and quality with which an economy facilitates the ease of starting a business, getting a location, accessing finances, dealing with day-to-day operations, and operating in a secure business environment. Read more