By Garmah Never Lomo, garmahlomo@gmail.com
Senate Secretary Nanborlor Singbeh was not arrested as It was reported by some media outlets including the IPNEWS, court document in possession of www.newspublictrust.com shows.
The reports earlier said that the Senate Secretary Singbeh was arrested late September 6, 2022 on instruction of Civil Law Court, has Court document before us prove the contrary.
The court document, a copy of which is in our possession summoned defendant Singbeh over action of damages for defamation-libel levied against him by Hans Armstrong.
Mr. Nanborlor Singbeh
“You were before commanded to summons the above named respondent(s)/defendant(s), to appear before the Sixth Judicial Circuit, Civil Law Court for Montserrado County, sitting in its September term, A.D. 2022, same being the 19th day of September, A.D. 2022, to answer
to the petitioner(s) petition/plaintiff(s) complaint, that upon her/his/their failure, judgment by default will be rendered against her/him/them,” the document mentioned.
The document further said: “You are further commanded to notify the said defendant to file in this Court his or her formal appearance and or answer or return in my office on or before the 12 th day of September A.D.2022.”
“Meanwhile, you will have to return the original writ of summons to the judge’s office on or before September 12, 2022, with the official returns endorsed on the back thereof as to the manner of its service and have you there this writ of summons.”
On September 6, 2022, IPNEWS reported that officers of the Civil Law Court ‘A’ at the Temple of Justice on Tuesday, September 6, arrested the Secretary of the Liberian Senate, Mr. Nanborlor Singbeh, at the Capitol Building on Capitol Hill.
The IPNEWS also reported that Singbeh’s arrest comes after he failed to appear before Judge Nancy Sammy in response to a US$20 million “Action of Damages for Defamation-Libel” suit filed against him by a British national, Hans Armstrong.
Civil Law Court Judge Sammy on August 10, issued a Writ of Summon against Singbeh, giving him up to August 27 to file his response as well as a bond which is expected to have been in the tune of over US$25million.
The IPNEWS report earlier said that after his arrest, Singbeh was subsequently brought to the court and was detained for several hours but was later released when his lawyer, Cllr Joseph Gibson, intervened.
Cllr. Gibson spent hours in closed-door discussion with Judge Sammy, who later ordered court officers to have Singbeh released without further explanation, an account that has later proved the contrary.