By Garmah Never Lomo,garmahlomo@gmail.com
Criminal court C at Temple of Justice has summoned the publisher of the New Dawn newspaper Othello Garblah to show cause why he should not be held in contempt for the caption ” PLOT TO EXONERATE Defendants” which appeared on the front page of New Dawn, Vol.9, No. 133 on Tuesday, July 9, 2019.
According to the writ of Summon, which the front page of the New Dawn newspaper carried the photos of Associate Justice of the Supreme Court Joseph N. Nagbe and Judge Peter W. Gbeneweleh assigned Judge Criminal Court C.
Until his recent appointment by President George Weah to the Supreme Court Bench, Justice Nagbe previously served as Sinoe County Senator at the Legislature and worked with Senator Varney Sherman on the Senate’s Judiciary Committee.
The writ of summon said the Publisher of the New Dawn should appear before the court on Wednesday July 10, 2019 at 2pm.
In his Tuesday publication, July 9, 2019 which says information reaching this paper indicates that there is an ongoing serious lobby to put certain witness on the stance in the sable mining bribery scandal case that would vindicate defendant Varney Sherman and others.
New Dawn newspaper Tuesday publication scored that the news follows the visit of Associate Justice Joseph N. Nagbe at the Criminal Court C on Friday where three of his former colleagues, defendant senator Varney Sherman, Morris Saytomah, and former speaker Tyler have begun testifying in the trial.
The publication further said Senator Sherman and others are standing trial in an alleged bribery scandal in which several former and present government officials received US $ 950,000 in bribe money to change a local mining law here in favor of a sable mining, a British Firm at least according to a Global witness report which forms the basis of the trial.
Mr. Garblah stated in his publication, that on Friday Justice Nagbe visited the Judge’s chamber, Justice Nagbe wave to the defendants with smile as he existed the court room and there are reports that the IT specialist who authenticated the emails sent from defendants Sherman’s computer is also expected to testify, why senate secretary Manborlor Singbeh has been summoned to testify before the court but it’s not clear from which documents he’s going to testify.
He added in his publication that on Thursday July 4, 2019, former lead prosecutor in the case, now representative Fonati Koffa held a press conference in which he clarified some of the allegations made in defendant Sherman’s testimony.
His Tuesday publication further expressed that the case has gained international attention with some foreign embassies near Monrovia seconding representatives at the trial as there are unconfirmed speculations of efforts to exonerate the defendants and the speculations has gained momentum over the weekend following Associate Justice Nagbe visit.
Meanwhile, when the case was called for hearing, lawyer representing the legal interest of Othello B. Garblah, Cllr. Eugene Massaquoi earlier told the court that he has submission to made after the parties representation.
Cllr. Massaquoi filed a submission for the defendant contempt of court in the writ of summon but told the court that the defendant Garblah is out of the bailiwick of the court and will be brought before the court on Thursday July, 11, 2019 to answer to his contempt charge.
While, Cllr. Tiamon S. Gongloe appeared as Amici curial, meaning friend of the court and interposed no objection to the submission made.
The court therefore granted the submission made by the defend counsel and the case was assigned for Thursday July 11, 2019.