⁃Cllr. Charlyne Brumskine typifies corruption in the Judiciary
By: G Bennie Bravo Johnson I
Cllr. Charlyne Brumskine, a prominent female lawyer has encouraged legal professionals to be legally and morally upright in the discharge of their service, as she believes corruption in the legal sector is betrayal.
She spoke Friday, April 4, at the 2025 Annual General Assembly of the Liberian National Bar Association. During her statement, Cllr. Brumskine reminded legal practitioners that the law is sacred and at its very core, is the legal system that exists to uphold justice, protect rights, and maintain social order.
The prominent female lawyer also asserted that corruption in the legal sector does not only damage individual cases but damages the entire legal ecosystem. “But let us not mince words here. If the law is sacred, then corruption is its desecration. Corruption in the legal sector is not merely a flaw—it is a betrayal. It erodes public trust, it compromises the impartiality of our institutions, and it sends a dangerous message: that justice can be bought, delayed, or denied.”
The LNBA Annual General Assembly of the Liberian National Bar Association was held under the theme “THE LNBA AND THE FIGHT AGAINST CORRUPTION: STRENGTHENING ACCOUNTABILITY IN THE JUSTICE SECTOR” Considering the assembly theme and obligations of legal practitioners, Cllr. Brumskine averred that bribes in the legal sector change the course of a case.
“When a file goes missing mysteriously when influence overrides evidence, we do more than commit an injustice. We break faith with the people we are meant to serve. Corruption does not only damage individual cases—it damages the entire legal ecosystem. It undermines the credibility of the bench, the integrity of the bar, and the very concept of the rule of law,” she added
She urged legal professionals to constantly ask themselves—not just as individuals, but as a legal community to be bold in their honesty and be brave in reforms. Adding a legal system cannot protect rights, cannot offer redemption, and cannot call itself sacred—if it is for sale.
Cllr. Brumskine further noted that corruption may offer quick rewards, but it steals from the nation’s soul. Stating that very bribe taken is a brick removed from the foundation of trust and that every dishonest act is a delay in the nation’s destiny. Therefore, she urged lawyers to be incorruptible and unshakable and be the example the nation needs by letting their words be their bond, their name be the honor, and the legal practice be the prayer for a better Liberia.
Meanwhile, Cllr. Brumskine intimated that prayer for a better Liberia is not enough just in words, but every Liberian must put hopes into action and must manifest the very thing Liberians so desire in Liberia.
She asserted that every day, Liberians groan and mumble about the deteriorating systems in Liberia but they fail to look in the mirror at the contributing role each Liberians plays in its deterioration.
In what appears as a challenge to legal practitioners, Cllr. Charlyne Brumskine concluded by admonishing them to live up to the oath they took. She added that accountability is not an attack on the legal profession, but a blessing to it and tells the people to trust lawyers.
With a reminder that trust is the true currency of justice, she stated: “I challenge us to live up to the oath we took. Accountability is not an attack on our profession—it is a blessing to it. It tells the people: you can trust us. And trust is the true currency of justice!
So let us not fear accountability—let us embrace it. Let us demand it of ourselves, our colleagues, and our institutions—not with hesitation but with boldness. Because where accountability flourishes, corruption dies, and the law begins to breathe again.”
The Liberian National Bar Association (LNBA) was established on February 4, 1907, by an act of the National Legislature. The Liberian National Bar Association is comprised of lawyers, judges, and law students.
Its vision is to ensure an independent, ethical, and improved judiciary and legal education system in which access to justice are effectively managed, benefiting all Liberians. The LNBA’s mission is to Promote access to justice, legal professional ethics, and effective justice, and enhance fraternal bonds among LNBA members and between the association and Bars of foreign countries.
