After State Lawyers Said: “Proof Is Evident And Presumption Great”
PHOTO: Gen. Mamady Doumbuya, Guinea’s current military President
By Garmah Never Lomo, garmahlomo@gmail.com
The Resident Judge of Criminal Court “A” at the Temple of Justice in Monrovia has denied two separate motions filed by a Guinean National who was arrested by Liberian Authorities for attempting to overthrow the current President of Guinea.
Judge Roosevelt Z. Willie on Tuesday, September 25, 2024, denied Ibrahim Sheriff and ordered the prosecuting attorneys to present all evidence collected from the defendant.
The Judge’s action comes based on two separate motions filed by the defendant lawyer Cllr. Syrenius Cephus who is seeking his client release from the Monrovia Central Prison (South Beach) on bail.
He denied defendant Sheriff request to be released and to suppress evidence on allegations of planning to overthrow the current Guinea President Mamady Doumbuyah through the Liberian border.
“Therefore and considering the laws just stated, the National and Regional Security involved in the case and the safety of the defendant, the court hereby denied the motion to grant bail to the defendant,” the ruling stated.
The Judge in his ruling prevented prosecuting lawyers from extraditing the defendant back to Guinea or any other country without the legal determination in Liberia.
Judge Willie’s ruling further mandated the state lawyers to surrender all evidence to include AK-47, LAR riffle, PKM, RPG and mortar weapons and cash in both United States Dollars and several currencies that was solicited by defendant from former Guinea President Alpha Condeh to the court within 72 hours.
According to the Jude’s ruling, the defendant argued that his continuous detention at the prison facility by prosecution is based on imaginary fairy tale because, state lawyers did not obtain any evidence both material or documentary from him, for which he was charged with obtaining weapons and finances to overthrow the Government of Guinea; as such, the charges levied against him are all lies and only intended to put his life at risk. Notwithstanding, the defendant alleged that state lawyers have no evidence to include material or documentary, he then prayed the court to suppress evidence and order prosecution to return his property.
With this, Judge Willie wonders which evidence does the defendant want the court to suppress and order the prosecuting attorneys return his property, when he said state lawyers did not obtain evidence both material and documentary from him.
But in resisting the consolidated motions, state lawyers said that proof is evident and presumption great based upon the evidence that is in their possession and therefore called on the Judge not to grant the defendant bail.
The prosecution cited chapter 11. 13 of penal Law of Liberia which defines Mercenarism as a felony of the first degree that does not provide for bail.