About OWECC-L

OWECC-L stands for the Office for the Establishment of War and Economic Crimes Court for Liberia. It is a government-mandated office responsible for leading the processes to establish a Special War Crimes Court and a National Anti-Corruption Court in Liberia, ensuring accountability for past atrocities and economic offenses.

Liberia experienced devastating civil wars from 1989 to 2003, resulting in widespread human rights violations, war crimes, and economic plunder. Despite the end of the conflicts, there has been no formal judicial accountability. OWECC-L was established to address this gap and ensure that victims receive justice and that such atrocities are never repeated.

OWECC-L is working to establish two courts: (1) the Special War Crimes Court for Liberia, which will prosecute individuals responsible for war crimes and crimes against humanity committed during the civil conflict; and (2) the National Anti-Corruption Court, which will address economic crimes and corruption.

OWECC-L collaborates with a broad range of stakeholders including the Government of Liberia, civil society organizations, victims' groups, traditional leaders, religious institutions, the international community, and development partners. An inclusive and consultative approach is central to OWECC-L's mandate.

Citizens can participate through public consultations, community outreach events, and by submitting their views and concerns through OWECC-L's formal engagement channels. Victims and survivors are especially encouraged to share their experiences. Visit our Contact page to get in touch.

No. OWECC-L is not a court. It is an office charged with the groundwork, legal, technical, and consultative, required to establish the courts. Once established, the courts will operate as independent judicial bodies.

All published reports and legal instruments are freely accessible on this website. Visit the Reports and Legal Instruments sections to browse and download available documents.

Establishing credible war crimes and corruption courts is a complex, multi-year process. Before trials can begin, Liberia must put in place the legal framework, trained investigators and prosecutors, witness protection systems, and an operational court structure capable of meeting international due process standards. OWECC-L is currently building institutional capacity so that when trials begin, they are fair, evidence-based, and capable of withstanding legal scrutiny. Rushing the process risks compromising the integrity of the entire accountability effort.

Yes. The War and Economic Crimes Court (WECC) and the National Anti-Corruption Court (NACC) are two distinct judicial bodies with different mandates. The WECC focuses on prosecuting atrocity crimes — war crimes, crimes against humanity, and serious human rights violations — committed primarily during Liberia's civil wars. The NACC, on the other hand, is designed to address current and ongoing corruption offenses by public officials and institutions. Both courts are part of the broader accountability framework OWECC-L is working to establish, but they serve separate and complementary purposes.

Yes. The Liberia Anti-Corruption Commission (LACC) is an existing investigative and prosecutorial body responsible for detecting and referring corruption cases. The proposed Anti-Corruption Court (or NACC) would be a dedicated judicial tribunal — a court — with the power to adjudicate those cases and deliver binding verdicts. The LACC investigates and refers; the court tries and convicts. They are designed to work together as complementary institutions: the LACC builds the cases, and the court hears them. This separation strengthens independence and reduces the risk of political interference in the prosecution of corruption.

OWECC-L's offices are located at North Gibson Street, Mamba Point, Monrovia, Liberia. You can reach the office by telephone at +231 888 000 221 or +231 779 000 221, or by email at info@oweccliberia.org. The War and Economic Crimes Court itself, once established, will be permanently seated at a site in Liberia designated exclusively for that purpose by the Government of Liberia, as provided in the WECC Draft Law.

OWECC-L was established by Executive Order No. 131 (May 2024) and reaffirmed by Executive Order No. 148 (April 2025) to lead the establishment of two accountability mechanisms: (1) the War and Economic Crimes Court (WECC), a hybrid national-international court mandated to prosecute war crimes, crimes against humanity, and serious human rights violations committed during Liberia's civil conflicts from January 1979 to August 2003; and (2) the National Anti-Corruption Court (NACC), a dedicated court for prosecuting corruption and economic crimes by public officials. OWECC-L handles all preparatory, legislative, consultative, and capacity-building work required before those courts become operational.

Not yet. OWECC-L is still in the preparatory phase and the War and Economic Crimes Court has not yet been formally established. Formal testimony, witness statements, and evidence submission will be handled by the Independent Investigative Unit for Liberia (IIU-L) once it is operational, the body mandated by the WECC Draft Law to gather evidence from witnesses, survivors, and communities. The IIU-L will have the legal authority to summon witnesses, conduct interviews, and preserve evidence for trial. However, if you have information or a story to share right now, you are encouraged to contact OWECC-L directly at our contact page and an officer will be in touch.

OWECC-L receives support from a wide range of national and international partners. At the national level, the office works closely with the Government of Liberia, the Ministry of Justice, civil society organizations, including the Liberia Massacre Survivors Association (LIMASA), victims' groups, traditional leaders, and religious institutions. Internationally, the process is supported by the United Nations, the African Union, ECOWAS, donor governments, and international human rights and accountability organizations. The WECC Draft Law expressly provides that the court's budget shall come from the Government of Liberia and voluntary contributions from donor states, international institutions, and non-governmental organizations.

No, the courts are designed to complete their work and then transition out. The WECC Draft Law provides for a residual mechanism: after the court concludes its main prosecutorial work, a smaller body will remain to preserve records, enforce sentences already handed down, manage any unresolved matters, and handle witness protection. OWECC-L's roadmap projects that the prosecution and trial phase will run from approximately 2027 to 2031, followed by a transition phase from 2032 to 2033. Thereafter, an archiving institution and educational programs will preserve the legacy of the proceedings. The courts are time-bound, purposeful instruments of accountability, not permanent fixtures.

The WECC Draft Law gives the court jurisdiction over any individual who committed war crimes or crimes against humanity during the conflict period, not solely faction leaders. This includes commanders, advisors, financiers of armed groups, and those who ordered, aided, or abetted atrocities. The law explicitly states that governmental or official status, including being a Head of State, shall not be a defence against prosecution, and that superior orders may only be considered in mitigation, not as a complete defence.

However, international accountability practice focuses prosecutorial resources on those who bear the greatest responsibility, leaders, commanders, and those who planned, ordered, or financed widespread atrocities, because it is not practical or efficient to prosecute every individual combatant from a 24-year conflict involving multiple armed groups. This does not mean lower-level perpetrators are immune; it means cases are prioritized to deliver the most meaningful accountability and the strongest deterrent effect.

The court's temporal jurisdiction covers January 1979 to October 2003 and extends to all of Liberia's territory, as well as serious violations committed by Liberian citizens in neighbouring countries during that period.

This depends on the nature of the act. The WECC Draft Law covers economic crimes committed between January 1979 and August 2003, including theft, illegal seizure, and misuse of property linked to the civil conflict. The court has the power to order forfeiture of property and assets acquired through criminal conduct during the war and their return to rightful owners or the Republic.

However, the WECC is designed to focus on large-scale, systematic criminal conduct, mass looting, organized plunder, and crimes carried out as part of a widespread attack. Individual property disputes from the war era may also be addressable through civil mechanisms or the National Anti-Corruption Court (NACC) depending on the circumstances. Citizens are encouraged to document and preserve any evidence they have, and to contact OWECC-L at our contact page for guidance specific to their situation.

The Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC), which concluded its work and published its Final Report in 2009, operated under significant constraints of time, resources, and mandate. The TRC was primarily a truth-telling and reconciliation body, not a criminal investigation authority. Its mandate was to document atrocities, identify patterns of abuse, and recommend accountability measures, rather than to conduct the full forensic criminal investigations required for prosecution.

The 106 individuals named in the TRC's recommendations represent those against whom the TRC found sufficient basis to recommend prosecution or other sanctions based on the evidence available to it within its limited operating period. The TRC itself acknowledged that further investigation into economic crimes was necessary, given the limited time it had to execute its mandate, which is precisely why the WECC Draft Law established the Independent Investigative Unit for Liberia (IIU-L) to conduct the deeper, prosecution-ready investigations that go beyond what the TRC was able to do.

The WECC is not bound by the TRC's list. It has independent jurisdiction and authority to investigate and prosecute any person who committed crimes within its mandate, whether or not they were named by the TRC. The IIU-L will conduct fresh, thorough criminal investigations that can support prosecution to international evidentiary standards.