Did Supreme Court Rule in EPA’s Tenure Case?
Monrovia-Recently the highest judicial decision making body in the Republic of Liberia, the
Supreme Court, listened to both lawyers representing former Acting Executive
Director of the Environmental Protection Agency of Liberia, Wilson K. Tarpeh,
and the now Acting Executive Director of the institution, Dr. Emmanuel K. Urey Yarpaawolo in the joint chamber of the court .
The court hearing was based on a rate of prohibition filed my Mr. Tarpeh on the
workings of the EPA under the leadership of Prof. Dr. Urey Yarkpawolo on
grounds that he Tarpeh , has a remaining of 43 months with in “seven years of
tenure” . But on March 26, 2024, before the full bench of the supreme court, lawyers
representing both parties argued on different counts.
Tarpeh’s layer argued that his client was appointed in 2020 by former president
George Weah to run the affairs of the EPA on tenure for the period of seven years.
He disclosed that Tarpeh still has forty-three months of service to run the affairs of
the EPA but was removed by now President Joseph N. Boakai of which Dr.
Emmanuel Urey Yarkpawolo was appointed.
Mr. Tarpeh is however, requesting for reinstatement or be paid for his “remaining
43 months”. But the lawyer representing Dr. Urey Yarkpawolo and the EPA argued that Mr.
Tarpeh do not have a tenure position as he claimed.
The EPA lawyer indicated that before anyone is appointed on a tenure position at
the institution, there shall be what he called “Policy Council” consisting of different ministries and agencies of which a list of three persons shall be submitted to the president for appointment before the individual can assumed tenure, adding
that in the absent of that anyone appointed will be acting until the formation of the
policy council .
He said, Mr. Tarpeh’s appointment was not done from a list of three names which
should have been submitted by a policy council, adding that prior to the
appointment of Mr. Tarpeh to the position, there were not a policy council which
has the power to vet and submit the list of three persons to the president for
appointment.
“The Policy Council of the EPA has not been reconstituted since the tenures of the
majority of its members expired with the change of government from the Sirleaf
Administration to the Weah Administration in January 2018”, emphasized the EPA Lawyer.
With the nonexistence of the Policy Council, President Weah appointed
With the nonexistence of the Policy Council, President Weah appointed
and dismissed at his will.
Between 2019 and 2020, President Weah appointed and dismissed Mr. Nathaniel
Blama as Interim Executive Director of the EPA.
After Blama’s dismissal, Weah immediately appointed Tarpeh , even though his
recommendation for the job was never channeled through the EPA’s Policy
Council recruitment process as mandated by section 16 of the EPA Act. The EPA’s lawyer reliance was based on Part III, section 16, count 1 and 2 of the Act that established the EPA which states “There shall be an Executive Director
who is a person with wide environmental knowledge and recognized comment to sustainable management of the environment, appointed by the President from a listof three names recommended by the Council, except that the President may
appoint an interim Executive Director pending the formation of the Council; 2.
TheExecutive Director shall serve for a period of 7 years and shall be eligible for re-
appointment, except that there shall be appointed an interim Executive Director.
We are getting intelligence that former Acting Executive Director, Mr. WilsonTarpeh, has been calling some International and local partners informing them that he has won the case, we believe this act on the part of Mr. Tarpeh is criminal in nature and he must desist .
Since March 26 argument between the two parties, Justices of the Supreme Court
are yet to hand-down ruling into the matter. The High Court however told the
parties during the hearing that they will come down with ruling.
Mr. Wilson Tarpeh act of calling some partners informing them that he has won
the case thus bringing us to asked; Did Supreme Court Rule in EPA’s Tenure Case?
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