PHOTO: Convict Pinky Abu, the President’s friend
By Garmah Never Lomo, garmahlomo@gmail.com
TEMPLE OF JUSTICE, Monrovia- As the Supreme Court of Liberia prepares to hear appeals to two intensely reported murder cases, intense discussion has been generated within the corridors of the Judiciary about one of the convicts, Pinky Abu who was convicted of murdering her boyfriend, Morris Johnson in the Paynesville suburb of Monrovia.
Appeals for both Ms. Abu and Jonathan Williams, the man convicted for killing a young Liberian Journalist Tyron Brown of Super FM/TV are expected to be heard by the highest court in the land this Wednesday, March 30, 2022.
Pinky Abu was convicted in 2019 for allegedly stabbing her boyfriend Morris Johnson at their home after a commotion at the Pepper Fish entertainment center along the Roberts International Airport highway.
Credible information reaching www.newspublictrust.com says Pinky, who is said to be a close/special friend to President George Manneh Weah, is poised to be granted executive clemency, as her name is on the President clemency list of 500 inmates anytime soon.
Article 59 of the 1986 constitution gives the President executive power to grant clemency and says: The President may remit any public forfeitures and penalties suspend and fines and sentences, grant reprieves and pardons, and restore civil rights after conviction for all public offenses, except impeachment.”
A reliable source within the legal cycle has hinted this news outlet that the recent executive clemency decision has been overshadow by the fate of Ms. Abu, who unanimous found guilty in December 2019 at Criminal Court presided over by Judge Roosevelt Z. Willie and thereafter sentenced to 25 years in prison.
Our source said that one thinking at the Presidency was to grant the clemency for the convict in question alone, but that was option was dropped because it would have raised eyebrows.
Sources close to the Judiciary say although Ms. Abu is being incarcerated at the Monrovia Central Prison, she has been a relatively living in relative “luxury”, as if she is not a convict notoriously deplorable prison facility. She usually said to celebrate her birthday at the prison compound with friends wearing souvenir T-shirts.
A report says that upon her release, the President’s friend is expected to be flown out of Liberia.
Lawyers representing convict Pinky Abu in the lower court are led by Cllr. Arthur Johnson, convict Jonathan Williams’ lawyers are Cllr. Jallah Barbu, Cllr. Jimmy Bombo, among others. While, the state will be represented by Cllr. Wesseh A. Wesseh and Liberia’s Solicitor General Saymah Syrenius Cephus.
Background to Jonathan Williams’s case
Convict Williams was adjudged guilty by the 11th Judicial Circuit Court in Bomi County then presided over by its assigned judge Nancy Finda Sammy on March 17,2020.
Thereafter, he was given life sentence on March 26,2020 but convict Williams spent one year serving his jail sentence at the Tubmanburg correction center in Bomi County and he was transferred to the Monrovia Central prison in October of 2021 due to his poor eyesight.
Convict Jonathan Williams
During convict Williams trial proceedings in Tubmanburg, Bomi County, state prosecutor produced six witnesses while the defendants produced three witnesses including himself.
See Court proceedings on Jonathan Williams conviction:
The convicted killer of young Liberian Journalist, Tyron Browne, Mr. Jonathan Williams was on Thursday, March 26, 2020 been sentenced to life imprisonment by the Judge of the 11th Judicial Circuit Court in the Bomi County capital, Tubmanbur, nearly 71 kilometers west of Monrovia.
Judge Nancy Sammy announced the sentence several days after she handed down a guilty verdict for Williams, after ruling that the prosecution had provided convincing evidence to prove the crime of murder.
But defense lawyers have taken exception to the life sentence and announced that they are taking an Appeal to the Supreme Court of Liberia, quoting the Penal Law–51.3 sub-section one on Sentencing and 14.1 concerning the crime of Murder.
The Assistant Justice Minister for Litigation, Cllr. Wesseh A. Wesseh told Journalists on Thursday that convict Williams will shortly be transferred to the National Correction Palace in Zwedru, Grand Gedeh County, southeastern Liberia.
Journalist Browne of Super FM/TV in Monrovia was stabbed to death several times in the Duport Road, Paynesville suburb of Monrovia in 2018. And the trial first started at the Temple of Justice in the Liberian capital.
The case was however transferred to Bomi County based on change of venue motion filed by lawyers representing Jonathan Williams, Cllr. Jallah Barbu and Cllr. Jimmy Bombo, which is a right of any party.
After last Tuesday’s court ruling, the defense team of Williams, who have been pressing for the verdict to be reduced to manslaughter, announced that they are filing an appeal to the Supreme Court of Liberia.
Last year, lawyers representing both defendant Jonathan Williams and defendants Alice Youtee along with Edwina Youtee Cllr.Jimmy Bombo and Jonathan Massaquoi filed a writ of Certiorari to the Justice in Chamber, Her Honor Sie-A-Nyene G. Yuoh.
They requested change of venue for defendant Jonathan Williams, while Cllr. Massaquoi was requesting for separate trial for Alice and Edwina Youtee.
The Writ of Certiorari was filed when the Criminal A judge Roosevelt Z Willie denied both the change of venue and separate trial motions for defendant Williams and defendants Youtee.
Earlier on, defendant Williams told his lawyer representing him that the case should be transferred to Gbapolu County. But state prosecutors came in to defend why only Gbapolu County instead of other nearby counties, something that was defended to the fullest which the judge saw logic in denied that motion.
State prosecutors in their defense said Alice and Edwina Youtee cannot be granted separate trial, because the incident occurred in their presence. They never reported the matter to the police and they were charged with criminal facilitation and hindering of law enforcement.
The Justice in Chamber heard the matter and made determination that defendant Williams should be granted change of venue, while the defendants Alice and Edwina should be granted separate trial. Prosecutors disagreed with the Justice in Chamber and took an appeal to the Full bench of the Supreme Court.
The Appeal taken to the full Beach of the Supreme Court of Liberia said the Writ was argued by both state lawyers headed by Cllr. Corlelius Wander and Edwin Kla Martin; while, the defend lawyers were headed by Cllr. Jallah Barbu and Cllr. Jimmy Bombo and Supreme Court reserved ruling after arguing the Writ of Certiorari.
The Supreme Court therefore ruled granting the change of venue instead of Gbarpolu County as requested by the defense lawyers, it was transferred to Bomi County due to bad road and logistical constraints.