Liberia, April 7 -- A major legal standoff is unfolding at the Temple of Justice, with a judge warning of a possible shutdown of the John F. Kennedy Medical Center (JFK) if the Ministry of Finance and Development Planning fails to appear for a rescheduled hearing in a US$350,000 damages case.

"This court will not tolerate continued disregard of its authority... All parties, including the Ministry of Finance, are hereby ordered to appear tomorrow at 12 noon. Failure to comply will leave this court with no alternative but to take decisive action, including the closure of JFK," said Cllr. Nelson B. Chineh, Judge of the Sixth Judicial Circuit, Civil Law Court.

The warning follows the Ministry's failure to appear at a scheduled conference he...