By Garmah Never Lomo, garmahlomo@gmail.com
FISH TOWN, RIVER GEE, Liberia- Liberia’s Chief prosecutor and Solicitor General Syrenius Cephas has again been accused of undermining justice, but he has strongly dismissed such claim.
The latest claim emerged recently in the southeastern River Gee County, situated nearly 509 kilometers from Monrovia, regarding a murder case involving the general town Chief and two of his counsels in Rock town, Barrobo statutory District, Maryland County.
The men in Barrobo, Maryland County were allegedly murdered by fourteen men in the area on grounds that they were engaged in witchcraft.
According to our credible sources in the legal arena , Cllr. Cephas had on numerous occasions called the judge without stating the reason for placing the call and that the judge has been asking why such calls.
But SG Cephas told www.newspublictrust.com via mobile phone on Monday, November 23, 2020 that he is not doing anything to illegally interfere with the trial.
Cllr. Cephas said “I don’t know the defendants” in the murder case and that he has only made one phone call to the Judge presiding over this case recently, requesting him to give lift to his sister who was travelling to River Gee on his (Judge’s vehicle) from Monrovia. But he explained that the Judge told him that he had to take his vehicle to the garage for servicing.
Cllr. Cephus is said to have even gone to the extent of ordering Public Defender Atty. Amos Nyenatoh to file a motion of change of venue; something he did on Wednesday November 18, 2020, after he (Atty. Nyenatoh) failed to attend the commencement of the hearing on Tuesday November 17, 2020, without any excuse.
It is further alleged that the Solicitor General has also been trying to persuade Cllr. Wesseh to abandon the case but that due to gravity of the case and with the help of Minister Frank Musa Dean, he was able to go to River Gee County to prosecute the case.
That was just one in a litany of accusations of obstruction of justice involving Liberia’s Solicitor General.
However, Cllr. Cephas said as Solicitor General he has only been performing his duty as head of prosecution to interact with his men in the field (state prosecutors.
“My interaction with the prosecutors in the field is not interference,” the SG said.
It can be recalled that on June 15 of this year Cllr. Cephas threatened to get even with the clerk of Criminal Court C at the Temple of Justice after he (clerk) refused to give him copy of the indictment for Senate Secretary Nanborlor Singbe and others.
Cllr. Cephas and Montserrado County Attorney Edwin Kla Martin were recused from that case because they had been involved with the identical case while in private practice though he had nonetheless gone to demand for the case file.
The Chief prosecutor was again accused of holding onto the indictment of defendant of Nanborlor Singbe and others during the May Term of Court, resulting into heated verbal exchanges between Cllrs. Cephas and Tiawon Gongloe then appointed to serve as additional counsel for an hour in the chamber of Criminal Court C pending release of the indictment.
Still in another instance, Cllr. Cephas was again accused of obstructing proceedings in a bigamy case in April of this year at the RIA Magisterial Court, which was being prosecuted by the state and extra lawyers at which time he instructed the City Solicitor to dismiss said case.
On several occasions, colleagues have accused him of obstructing justice, causing many to wonder why the country’s chief prosecutor could take such questionable posture.