PHOTO: 2 suspects being taken on motorbike by prison officer
By Garmah Never Lomo, garmahlomo@gmail.com
KAKATA, Liberia- The 13the Judicial Circuit Court to begin the trail proceedings into the alleged killing of a German National, Juergen Schedema next Tuesday, November 10, 2020, in Kakata Margibi County.
The killing happened in Grand Bassa County last January and the case initially started at the Circuit Court in Bassa.
The late Juergen Schedema, Manager of the International Consultant Company (ICC), was discovered dead early Wednesday morning, January 22, 2020 at the back of the log yard, which is located in Big Joe Town – more than a mile away from the port city of Buchanan, some 88 miles from Liberia’s capital, Monrovia.
The late Juergen Schedema
But the trial has been transferred to Kakata and it will be presided over by Judge Joe S. Barkon, who has been transferred to Margibi County for this term of court.
According to eyewitnesses, Saah P-Early, one of the security on duty disclosed that about 1:30 am, 13 armed robbers wearing masks, trooped into the logging company’s compound in Big Joe Town. They came from the back of the company and entered into the building and first tied the four security officers who were at the front gate and took them into a room along with some other staff of the company.
The murder case involving the alleged killing of German national was transferred to the next term of court, after lawyers representing the defendants pleaded for jury trial, instead of a bench trial.
Jury trial was banned at the height of the COVID 19 pandemic and only bench trial was allowed a decision that violated the right of many pre-trial detainees in prison
The decision was made on Thursday, June 4, 2020 during the trial some 73 kilometers east of Monrovia.
The late Juergen Schedema, Manager of the International Consultant Company (ICC), was discovered dead early Wednesday morning, January 22 at the back of the log yard, which is located in Big Joe Town – more than a mile away from the port city of Buchanan, 88 miles from Monrovia.
Invoking Chapter 20.1 of the Criminal Procedure Law, Atty. Alfred B. Whelmes reminded the court of the rights of his clients to jury trial as provided for by law, a motion Judge Mardea Chenoweth granted.
In his resistance to the motion, the prosecution headed by Margibi County Attorney H. Deddeh Jomah Wilson, described the move by the defense as not being in good faith.
Atty. Jomah noted that even before the opening of the Mat term of court, the defense team had adequate notice that owing to the COVID-19 outbreak, there would have been no jury trials.
At that point, Atty.Jomah argued that it was up to the defendants to decide whether they wanted a jury or bench trial.
Besides, the prosecution said after defendants Emmanuel Kollie and Joseph Cole entered a unanimous not guilty plea and the prosecution said they would continue with the production of witnesses, defense interposed no objection to the continuance of the proceedings.