Paris, France – At the facilitation of His Excellency Dr. Teeko Tozay Yorlay, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Republic of Liberia to the French Republic, the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of Liberia, His Honor Justice Yamie Quiqui Gbeisay, on Monday, 21 September 2026, held a high-level meeting with His Honor Christophe Soulard, First President of the Court of Cassation of the French Republic(the Supreme Court equivalent in the French Republic), at the Court of Cassation in Paris.
The meeting provided an important opportunity for the leadership of the two judiciaries to discuss judicial cooperation, institutional development, professional exchanges, and the strengthening of the rule of law.
Chief Justice Gbeisay expressed profound appreciation to First President Soulard for granting the audience, describing the engagement as both a personal honor and an important occasion for the Supreme Court and Judiciary of Liberia.
He underscored the longstanding friendship between Liberia and France, founded on shared commitments to liberty, human dignity, justice, and the rule of law. While acknowledging the differences between France’s civil-law tradition and Liberia’s common-law system, the Chief Justice emphasized that both judiciaries are united by the fundamental responsibility of administering justice and protecting the rights of citizens.
Exploring Judicial Cooperation
During the meeting, Chief Justice Gbeisay highlighted Liberia’s ongoing efforts to strengthen the country’s judicial system, including expanding magisterial courts and judicial complexes, digitizing judicial records, introducing Judicial Monitoring, Evaluation and Accountability mechanisms, and broader efforts to improve judicial performance and public confidence.
He expressed interest in learning from France’s extensive experience in judicial administration, case management, judicial training, digitalization, judicial efficiency, ethics, accountability, and alternative dispute resolution.
The Chief Justice also emphasized that judicial cooperation should be reciprocal and mutually beneficial. Liberia, he noted, has valuable experiences to share, particularly in post-conflict justice, the interaction between customary and statutory law, and justice delivery in resource-constrained environments.
Judicial Training and Professional Exchanges
A key area discussed was the possibility of establishing closer institutional links between Liberia’s James A.A. Pierre Judicial Institute and France’s École Nationale de la Magistrature (ENM).
The Liberian side proposed exploring opportunities for Liberian judges and magistrates to participate in short-term training, professional exchanges, study programs, seminars, and other capacity-building initiatives, including the possibility of Liberian judicial officers participating annually in appropriate programs.
The two sides also discussed potential cooperation in digital case management, electronic judicial records, court administration, reducing case delays and judicial backlogs, as well as strengthening judicial ethics, professional standards, discipline, and institutional accountability.
Given the prevalence and complexity of land and community disputes in Liberia, the Chief Justice further identified mediation, conciliation, and other alternative dispute-resolution mechanisms as areas where French experience could be particularly valuable.
Toward a Long-Term Institutional Partnership
A central proposal advanced during the meeting was the establishment of a long-term institutional relationship between the Supreme Court of Liberia and the Court of Cassation of France.
Chief Justice Gbeisay expressed Liberia’s interest in developing regular communication between the leadership of the two courts, reciprocal judicial visits and delegations, exchanges of legal and judicial knowledge, appropriate sharing of judgments and jurisprudence, joint seminars and conferences, and cooperation in relevant international judicial forums.
In this connection, the Liberian side proposed the conclusion of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between the Supreme Court of Liberia and the Court of Cassation of France as a framework for sustained judicial cooperation. The Chief Justice requested that the French side consider providing a draft framework for such an MoU for further discussion between the two institutions.
Liberia’s Commitment to Judicial Independence and the Rule of Law
Chief Justice Gbeisay reaffirmed Liberia’s commitment to judicial independence, the rule of law, access to justice, professional judicial administration, and institutional accountability.
He emphasized that any technical cooperation developed between the two judiciaries would be pursued with transparency, accountability, and a clear institutional purpose.
The Chief Justice also extended an invitation to First President Soulard to visit Monrovia and the Temple of Justice, expressing the hope that the engagement in Paris would mark the beginning of a deeper and enduring relationship between the judicial institutions of Liberia and France.
A Partnership Based on Mutual Learning
The meeting underscored Liberia’s position that judicial cooperation should not constitute a one-way transfer of assistance.
Rather, Liberia seeks to establish a durable judicial partnership in which France shares its experience and expertise with Liberia, while Liberia contributes its own experiences and perspectives, particularly in post-conflict justice, customary law, and justice delivery in challenging environments.
Such cooperation, the Liberian side emphasized, would create a bridge for mutual learning, institutional strengthening, and shared advancement of justice and the rule of law.
The meeting concluded in a cordial atmosphere, with both sides reaffirming the importance of continued engagement and friendship between the Judiciary of Liberia and the Judiciary of France, as well as the broader friendship between the two countries.
