-Milton Weeks’ released on Bail, but 3 other CBL officials still in prison
By Peter Toby, tobypeter71@gmail.com
Criminal Court ‘C’ has placed CBL Deputy Governor for Operations and son of former President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, Charles Sirleaf under house arrest, following his release Friday from the Monrovia Central Prison on Friday, March 8, 2019.
Former CBL Governor Milton Weeks has also been released on bail.
Both men, who have spent five nights in jail along with three other CBL officials have been indicted by the Liberian government in connection with the missing billions saga, following forensic investigative reports pointing to gross discrepancies.
The prosecutors alleged in the Court Writ of arrest that between January 2016 and February, 2018, co-defendant Charles Sirleaf, while serving as Acting Central Bank Governor, “purposely with wicked and criminal intent, connived with other officials of the bank, and intentionally printed excess of Liberian dollars banknotes to the amount of L$146,250,000 for which the amount of US$401,469.58 was paid to Crane Currency by the CBL.”
On the L$5 billion, the court record alleged that they used US$433,898.14 for the excess to printing of L$3.59 million.
About the 10 billion transactions, the document claimed that the defendants failed to account for L$2.645 million, and that they criminally converted same to their personal use and benefits with intent to deprive the government and its citizens.
“The actions on the part of the defendants have the propensity to cause serious economic instability and undermine the government, and cause its citizens to rise up against it,” the record reads.
Defendant Sirleaf’s release and subsequent confinement to his home on Friday followed an application from defense lawyer Cllr. Johnny Momoh seeking for his compassionate freedom due to illness.
Cllr. Momoh revealed that his client had been diagnosed with several illnesses including lung cancer, alcoholic liver disease, Gout and systemic hypotension.
According to him, his application to the Court for compassionate release of defendant Charles Sirleaf was based his doctor’s advice claiming that keeping him at the Monrovia Central Prison poses serious health risk for him after spending nine days in detention without valid criminal appearance bond.
Cllr, Momoh’s application was granted by Judge Boima Kontoe, after Liberia’s Solicitor General Darku Mulbah interposed on objection but pleaded for the former President’s Son to surrender his passport.
In related development, former CBL Governor Milton Weeks has finally secured property bond valued at nine hundred thousand United State Dollars.
Criminal Court ‘C’ Judge Kontoe told reporters on Friday that the passport and other travelling documents of Sirleaf and Weeks have been seized.
But the three other CBL officials–le Dorbor Hagba, Richard Walker and Joseph Dennis are still being held at the Monrovia Central Prison.
The government of Liberia has already indicted the defendants on three accounts of economic sabotage, criminal conspiracy and criminal facilitation.
They were accused of conspiring with the Swiss Company, Crane Currency to print excess bank notes of 2.6-Billion Liberian Dollars.