TEMPLE OF JUSTICE, Monrovia- Criminal Court “C” presided over by assigned Circuit Court Judge, OUSMAN F. Feika has ordered the arrest of the Management of one of Liberia’s local dailies, Front Page Africa for their “failure and refusal” to sign for and receive the writ of summons, according to the Sheriff returns.
Judge Feika
FrontpageAfrica’s management was earlier summoned in connection with a series of recent reports carried on the corruption case involving former Liberian Defense Minister and now Senator-elect of Lofa County, Brownie J. Samukai, whose certification is yet to be done due to ongoing legal hurdles.
The Clerk of Court was ordered to issue a Criminal Contempt of Court on the management of the Front Page Africa along with a writ of Arrest and place same in the hand of the sheriff of this Court to have the paper’s management arrested and have them appear before the Court upon effecting said arrest.
Reason for the summons
Front Page Africa was summoned to appear before Criminal Court C, First Judicial Circuit Court Montserrado County today, Monday August 30,2021 at 12:00 “to show cause, if any, why the management should not be held in contempt of Court for wrongfully Reporting in its Vol. 15 No.141, Friday August 27,2021, Edition, Under the Caption,”Samukai Suffers Setback As Government Wants His 50% Payment Revoked; says All Co-defendants Must Jointly Pay 50% of US$1.3M”, Found on Page 8 As follows:
“The legal proceedings involving former Defense Minister J. Brownie Samukai and others convicted for Misappropriating the Armed forces of Liberia pension will have to delay up to September 6,2021, following a Bill of information filed by the Ministry of Justice against Irregularities’ by Criminal Court C by Judge OUSMAN F. Feika and Co-defendant Samukai and others.
Rodney Sieh, FPA Managing Editor
The writ of summons issued on Front Page Africa said, you are hereby commanded to summons the Management of Democrat Newspaper up to Wednesday, September 1, 2021 to find or contact their lawyer to represent their interest in these proceedings and appear in court for the continuation of these proceedings on the self-same day that is to say September 1, 2021 at 10am.
However, according to the Criminal Court C, FrontpageAfrica management refused to take delivery of the Court’s document. And instead, only the other local newspaper, New Democrat showed up at the court in response to the summons.
Therefore, the Criminal Court C says it takes cognizance of the fact that one of the defendants in these proceedings in person of the Management of the New Democrat Newspaper appeared in court as the per writ of summons issued out of this Court on Friday August 27,2021, and the request by the Defendant, New Democrat Newspaper for time in order to be represented by Counsel in these proceedings…
The Court’s summons for Democrat Newspaper summon says:
You are hereby commanded to to summons the Management of the New Democrat Newspaper before Criminal Court C, the first Judicial Circuit Court of Montserrado County on Monday August 30,2021, at 12 noon to show cause if any, why the management should not be held in Contempt of Court for wrongfully Reporting in it’s Vol. 28 No. 106, Friday August 27,2021, edition under the Caption Samukai’ Future Uncertain.
The Court said the paper reported last week that the presiding Judge was forced to halt a pretrial hearing in the Brownies Samukai’ case (yesterday )after he was informed that prosecutors filed a pleading seeking to probe irregularities by presiding Judge OUSMAN F. Feika and Co-defendant Samukai and others.
The writ of summons further added that the management of the aforesaid paper has wrongfully made the above quoted publication against the presiding Judge and Criminal Court C, thereby subjecting him and the Court to public ridicule.
Thus, the Court said this is what triggered this writ of summons citing the management to this court to show cause why it cannot be held in Contempt of Court for its wrongful publication against the court and its presiding Judge, His Honor OUSMAN F. Feika. Repprt by Garmah Never Lomo, garmahlomo@gmail.com