PHOTO: Joe Boakai (middle in gray suit) AT the Monrovia City Court today, Monday
By Garmah Never Lomo, garmahlomo@gmail.com
TEMPLE OF JUSTICE Monrovia- Amidst tight security measures put in place, former Liberian Vice President and political leader of the main opposition Unity Party (UP), Joseph Nyumah Boakai finally took the witness stand in the Monrovia City Court, Today, Monday, May 16,2022.
The former VP was here to testify in the CPP framework document forgery case against fellow opposition leader Alexander Cummings of the Alternative National Congress (ANC).
Cummings was sued by Banoni Urey’s All Liberian Party (ALP) with the backing of UP and the Nyonblee faction of Liberty Party. And he is facing charges of forgery and criminal conspiracy for allegedly tampering with the framework document of the CPP, which originally brought together Cummings’ Alternative National Congress (ANC), Boakai’s UP and Senator Nyonblee Karnga-Lawrence’s Liberty Party.
The 78-year-old Boakai told the court that the purported CPP framework document before him was not the document he signed on May 19, 2020.
The former Liberian Vice President, who was escorted and closely guarded by top officials including UP sympathizers, said in his testimony that Mr. Cummings completely changed the document.
Ambassador Boakai testified that the document he signed was an original copy and not a photocopy, noting that ANC party Chairman, Senator Daniel Nathan who signed on behalf of his political leader was not chairman of the CPP, but rather he was or still chairman of the ANC.
He identified the original signatures page among the photocopy pages of the CPP purported framework document represent the document he signed on May 19,2020.
“The framework document that I and my then chairman Isaac Manneh signed was in its original form with the logos of the four political parties on the cover page was arranged in alphabetical order ranging from the All Liberian Party(ALP), Alternative National Congress (ANC), Liberty Party(LP) and the United Party (UP),” the ex-VP testified.
Former Vice President Boakai also told court that the purported or disputed CPP framework was filed with the National Elections Commission under the leadership of the ANC headed by Mr. Cummings on May 19,2020. And he said that five copies were signed, with one intended to be filed with the NEC and the remaining four copies be given to the four political parties, stating that they didn’t receive a copy up to now, after the signing ceremony held over two years ago on May 19,2020.
He added that the signatures page was attached to the original framework document of the CPP and not a photocopy.
The witness was on the cross-examination when the time of hearing criminal cases expired and the cross-examination is expected to continue on Tuesday, May 17,2022 by the defense lawyers headed by Cllr Abrahim Sillah.
Meanwhile, the of the Monrovia City Court Magistrate, Jomah Jallah has suspended the trial to be continued on Tuesday, May 17,2022.
This is in line with rule nine of court which states that all Criminal cases should be heard from the 8-12pm and followed by civil cases from 12-4pm.
Background
One of state prosecutors and Solicitor General of Liberia, Saymah Syrenius Cephas recently filed an application in court that former Vice President Boakai and the Unity Party Secretary General could not testify to photocopy document, until the original copy of the CPP framework document is brought to the Monrovia City Court, even the photocopy of said document is at the court.
Following this application by Cllr. Cephas, he made an application praying to court to issued Subpoena Dues Tecum and Subpoena Ad Testificandum on the National Elections Commission chairperson Davidetta Brown Lasannah to appear in court with the document mentioned above on Wednesday, May 4,2022.
This is the second subpoena issued for the original copy of the CPP framework document, which was earlier brought in court last week by the political officer Enesia Wesseh at the NEC. He was again subpoenaed over the weekend to come back with said document. But he was nowhere to be found according to sheriff returns read in court.