PHOTO: Former Defense Min. Samukai
By Garmah Never Lomo, garmahlomo@gmail.com
TEMPLE OF JUSTICE, Monrovia– The Full Bench of the Supreme Court of Liberia today, Friday ruled that Brownie Samukai cannot be certificated by the National Elections Commission (NEC) as Senator-elect of Lofa County, unless and until he clears his “disability” in fulfillment of the court’s order.
Four of the five Justices on the bench granted the petition for Writ of Prohibition by the Ministry of Justice against Samukai’s certification but denied the one form Simeon Freeman’s MPC party, because they say he didn’t have standing.
But one of the four Associate Justices, Jamesetta Wolokolie has given a dissenting opinion.
Justice Wolokolie contention was that they had limited time to fully review the case. But the rest of the Supreme Court Bench disagreed, saying that the case in question has been on their docket for some seven months.
Samukai, who ran on the opposition CPP ticket in the December 8, 2020 Special Senatorial election, was pronounced as the winner of the polls by NEC, but his certification has been challenged due to his conviction and sentencing by the Criminal Court “C” for corruption.
In their ruling, the full bench of the highest court in Liberia said said Samukai and others “who were convicted of felony, have not served their sentence and satisfied the penalty imposed on them by the dictate of the law, therefore it would be utterly wrong and illegal for the first appelant, the NEC, to certificate the second appelant, Brownie J. Samukai, Jr. to take the seat as Senator for Lofa County.”
The Criminal Court ‘C’ on Tuesday March 24, 2020 found former Liberian Samukai and his deputies guilty of corruption, but Defense Lawyers took exception to the ruling and announced that they will file Appeal to the Supreme Court.
Mr. Samukai had been facing trial for misappropriating some US$1.3 million. His leadership of the Armed Forces of Liberia had received huge amounts for the AFL’s Compulsory Contributing Fund, which the Government of Liberia had sent to the Ecobank Liberia, Ltd. It included US460,000.00 in addition to US$687,656.35, making a total sum of US$1,147,665.35.
Ahead of post-trial conference slated for August 26,2021, supporters and friends of former Defense Minister J. Brownie Samukai were said have completed payment of his portion of the 50% of the AFL soldiers’ welfare money on Thursday, August 19, 2021, which was said to have been stolen.
Details will follow later