After Their Public Statements Made, Amid The CDC Gov’t Losing The US$100M Cocaine Case
PHOTO: Justice Min. Cllr. Frank Musa Dean
By Garmah Never Lomo, garmahlomo@gmail.com
TEMPLE OF JUSTICE, Monrovia- In a contempt charge against Justice Minister Frank Musa Dean and Information Minister Ledgerhood J. Rennie, the Supreme Court of Liberia has found the two top government officials guilty for bringing the Judiciary into public disrepute, after the CDC government lost the 1US$00m Cocaine case in May of this year.
The ruling adjudging the two officials being guilty was handed down by the highest court in the land on Friday, August 11,2023.
On the evening of Thursday, May 18, 2023, the defendants in Liberia’s biggest narcotic drug case were found not guilty by the empaneled Jury of the Criminal Court “C” in the Liberian capital. Defendants In US$100M Cocaine Case Found Not Guilty In Liberia – News Public Trust
According to the guilty verdict, a disclaimer of intent coupled with a plea for mercy by the Contemnors are insufficient to quash the charges of contempt and that want of intention is no excuse to purge contempt charges against a lawyer who has made opprobrious imputations to the Courts and the Judiciary. Hence, in the present case the contemnors must be adjudged on the strength of the law and not sentiments.
Information Min. Ledgerhood Rennie
It also says that the utterances and statement by the co-contemnor Counselor Frank Musa Dean, Jr. intended to undermine the dignity and integrity of the courts and to bring the entire Judicial Branch of government into public and international disrepute are criminally contemptuous.
The high court also added:
That the unprofessional publication of those utterances by Co-contemnor Ledgerhood J. Rennie without regards for the truth is criminally contemptuous and that the statement by the Minister of Justice and its publication by the Minister of Information, Cultural Affairs and Tourism having unjustifiably damaged the image of our Judicial System, the Ministers are each guilty of Criminal contempt and which requires comparable punishment in order to deter others who might want to embark upon similar effrontery towards the courts of this Republic.
Wherefore and in view of the foregoing, the contemnors are adjudged guilty of criminal contempt of the Judiciary Branch of government.
Considering that this is a first offense by the contemnors, and the Supreme Court having the responsibility to protect the courts of this Republic, the contemnors Counsel Frank Musa Dean Jr. and Minister Ledgerwood J. Rennie are hereby ordered to separately publish once a week for three weeks in three widely read newspapers of Liberia an apology to the Judiciary Branch of government to include therein a retraction of the May 20,2023, statement within 72hours as of rendition of this judgement and a copy of each publication filed with the clerk of this court. Additionally, the contemnors are each fined the Sum of US500 to be paid into the government revenue within 72hours as of the rendition of this Judgement and to present receipts therefor to the Marshal of this Court; failure of which the clerk of this Court is ordered to issue a commitment to be placed in the hands of the marshal for their imprisonment in the common jail of Montserrado County until and unless they abide by the mandate herein.
The contemnors Frank Musa Dean Jr. and Ledgerwood J. Rennie were represented by Cllrs Oswald N. Tweh, T. Negbalee Warner and Pearl Brown Bull while Cllrs. Benedict Sannoh, Denise S. Solan, Kuku Y. Dorbor and Aloysius T. Jappah appeared as amici curiae (friends of the court).