PHOTO: PRP leader Richmond Yarkpa
TEMPLE OF JUSTICE, Monrovia- The acting chairman of the People’s Restoration Party (PRP), Richmond D.K. Yarkpa an adult has been charged multiple crimes and sent to court.
The crimes range from forgery/ counterfeit, obtaining deceptive writing, criminal facilitation and criminal solicitation.
In the 2017 presidential election, Mr. Yarkpah ran as vice presidential candidate on the ticket of another opposition party.
According to police charge sheet, on April 13,2022, Mr. Alexander C. Zharn public Relation Officer filed a written complaint to the offices of police Inspector General Patrick T. Sudue of the Liberia national police.
Mr. Zharn complained that some members of PRP to include; Mrs Lusu Togbah names were written on an attendance list accompanying with signatures purporting to be their signatures without their consent.
He accused defendant Yarkpa acting chairman of the people’s Restoration Party of having knowledge of forgery/counterfeiting.
Predicated upon the allegation, the LNP through the Crime services department initiated an investigation and came to realize that the people’s Restoration Party have been having leadership crisis for which the National Elections Commission mandated the party thru it’s organizing committee membership to host a convention wherein they will resolve their crisis by electing officials to steer the affairs of the party.
The police charge sheet narrated that Yarkpa submitted to NEC an attendance sheet on which sixteen organizing committee members and six non committee members names were written justifying that a meeting was held on March 22,2022 authoring the party to a convention.
One of the party’s officials was spoken to by the investigation via phone as to whether they attended a meeting allegedly held on March 22,2022, organized by defendant Yarkpa and confirmed that they never attended such meeting as claimed by defendant Yarkpa.
It was additionally uncovered that the below persons Jackson Gono, Benjamin Kulu, Roosevelt Queejay, Reuben Eli, Tony Quei and Tumay Bombo whose names were placed on the March 22,2022, attendance list have cell phone numbers of different individuals placed opposite their names and this was established during the probe when the investigators called those numbers owners to ascertain the truth.
The investigation uncovered that not only defendant Yarkpa submitted the falsified attendance list dated March 22,2022, to the NEC but he claimed to have supervised the so called meeting on the date as mentioned herein, therefore, the burden rest upon him to prove beyond reasonable doubt his criminal complicity into this matter.
Consequent of the aforementioned, defendant Yarkpa was arrested, informed of his constitutional rights, investigated and during the investigation, he responded as to writ.
Defendant Yarkpa informed police investigation that moment after the certification of the People’s Restoration Party on April 22,2021, the party has been challenged with a lot of misunderstanding amongst its members thus fractionizing it into two major opposing groups.
He revealed that one being loyal to Alexander Kollie, resident of the United States of America, while other faction looked up to him for leadership and guidance.
Defendant Yarkpa narrated that they met at NEC on several occasions trying to resolve their differences until NEC finally ruled and mandated on March 16,2022 that with in twenty days from the ruling, the People’s Restoration Party should be Abel to have its convention or otherwise face the penalties with the New Elections law.
He went on to say that based on this mandate, the organizing committee of forty-five membership constituting delegates from the fifteen counties, endeavour to meet and plan for their convention.
Defendant Yarkpa indicated that everybody was informed and during the time of the meeting they noticed that many people from other far distances could not make it possibly due to constraints beyond their reach, notwithstanding, they were in communication with them and that they would be duly informed about the outcome of the planning meeting and subsequent convention.
He asserted that it was on March 22,2022, chaired meeting and from overview of the attendants, they had around twenty to twenty-five or thereabout.
The PRP official stated that, barley had they started the meeting at their office at Congo town, he received an urgent call from his office on the UL campus and considering the short distance, he thought he would rush to be back in thirty minutes as such, he begged leave of the participants and urged them to be patient until he returns so they could continue the meeting together.
Defendant Yarkpa lamented that when he returned, they held a successful meeting wherein their convention date was set for Saturday April 9,2022 at their party’s headquarters.
He furthered that Lusu Togbah alleged that she was not present but her name was placed on the attendance list and the accompanying signature didn’t match hers.
He told investigators that the fact of the matter is since their certification, they have not had regular meetings for him to be able to match everyone’s face to names, probably Lusu Togbah could be saying the truth or not but what he suspects is that someone could be a diehard member of the faction opposing his leadership with sinister motive could have been the one who surreptitiously placed Lusu Togbah’s name on the sheet and planned with her to open fresh battle in the party.
He therefore, concluded that the convention was successfully held as scheduled despite the orchestrated and sinister delay from this matter their report to NEC from the convention proceedings have long been completed, transmitted and accepted.
Meanwhile, defendant was charged in violation of Chapter 15 and 10 respectively, section 15.70,15.72, 10.2 and 10.3 of the revised penal law of Liberia pending trial by court of competent jurisdiction. Report by Garmah Never Lomo, garmahlomo@gmail.com