After repeated appeals by the Liberian government, the United Nations will fund the country's efforts to reform its beleaguered justice system.

"This project is designed to increase public confidence ... by addressing weaknesses in the prosecution element of the criminal justice system stemming from (the) lack of qualified and properly trained prosecutors," James N. Verdier, Jr., the program's managerat the UN Development Program (UNDP) in Liberia told Xinhua by e-mail.

The UNDP project, funded by the Peace Building Fund, will provide 1.8 million U.S. dollars over the course of 18 months to train Liberian prosecutors, improve accountability mechanisms and enhance administrative services at the Ministry of Justice.

Liberia's judiciary system is infamous for systemic weaknesses, a lack of credibility and questionable integrity. Justice Minister designate Christina Tah has called the system disjointed but has vowed to combat armed robbery, corruption and other violent crimes.

The UNDP has created a number of benches to monitor whether the funds are being effectively spent in the project, formally known as Supporting the Ministry of Justice in Improving Prosecution Services.

Among other things, Verdier Jr. said that the UN will look at whether the number of cases reviewed by prosecutors increases and whether the number of cases dropped and/or dismissed due to lack of victim or witness follow-through decreases.

In addition, the UN will also monitor whether public perception of prosecutors and the Ministry of Justice improves, said Verdier Jr..

Last month, Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon released a report on the West African country in which he recommended that the government of Liberia invest more resources in developing its justice system, ridding it of corruption and discriminatory laws.

"The dysfunctional justice system perpetuates a culture of settling disputes through mob violence," said the report, adding that the same factors which led to the civil war, such as marginalization of the indigenous majority, land disputes, and rampant corruption, continue to threaten the very seams of Liberian society.

Source: Xinhua