By Garmah Never Lomo, garmahlomo@gmail.com
A Magistrate in Rivercess County, BenJones D Weagba has finally admitted he has been compromising rape cases in this area,
Rape is a felony and a nonbailable crime in Liberian law. And President George Weah last year declared rape “a national emergency”.
Magistrate Weagbah is one of the Magistrates who was trained by the Judicial Institute, but reports have said he has for some time now been grossly involved with compromising cases at the Magisterial level and those cases can never see the face of the Circuit Court for trial.
In some cases, rape survivors in Rivercess County have sexual abused by perpetrators and left alone with justice due magistrate Weagba compromising behavior.
Many of the rape cases that come before him are cases of relatives/friends. And whenever those relatives of the perpetrators talk with him to release the alleged rapist, he usually listens to them and go ahead with his release order.
When Magistrate Weagbah was contacted by www.newspublictrust.com on Tuesday July 6, 2021, he denied said allegations against him but admitted to the act on state radio, ELBC on July 7, 2021.
Magistrate Weagba of the Cestos Magisterial Court admitted on state radio that he has grossly been compromising rape cases due to pressure from rape survivors’ family and County authorities.
The Cestos Magistrate said he freed one of the rape suspects, Nathan Bahn who is said to be son of the City Mayor.
Defending himself on state radio, Magistrate Weagba added that he usually order rape survivor medical history from health facilities to form part of his record but ordering rape survivor medical history doesn’t fall in the jurisdiction of the magistrate.
He admitted that only one rape case that he has compromised but the records showed that absolutely no rape case has been tried at the level of the Circuit Court due to the compromising behavior of Magistrate Weagba.
Earlier, Magistrate Weagba had told News Public Trust via mobile phone that according to law he has seventy-two hours to transfer a rape and murder Defendants to the Circuit Court adding that he has all his transfer documents to the Circuit Court in his possession.
He described his allegations against him by Assistant Justice Minister for Litigation Minister Wesseh A. Wesseh as false, misleading and unethical.
Magistrate Weagba of the Cestol magistraterial court has been accused by Assistant Minister Wesseh A. Wesseh of being in the constant habit of always releasing a rape suspects sometimes on bail. And at times, he releases them without bail, a situation that is seriously encouraging alleged perpetrators and increase in rape cases due to this Compromising behavior of Magistrate Weagba.
Evidence in the possession of News public Trust shows that this Magistrate has no Jurisdiction over rape cases. But he has been in the constant habit of releasing rape suspects without the consent of the County Attorney neither those with in the Justice sector.
In July and August of 2020, Magistrate Weagba released two rape suspects from the Cesto Central Prison in Rivercess County without bail neither did he explain his reason for their release.
In April of 2020, magistrate Weagba wrote the St. Francis Medical Center in Cesto City, Rivercess County for a medical report of a rape survivor something that is far above his Jurisdiction and ordering of Medical report squarely lies on the head of the prosecutors.
According to Assistant Justice Minister Wesseh, the Ministry of Justice through the County Attorney has written several communications to the Circuit Court Judge of 14th Judicial Circuit Court in Rivercess but no intervention has been by the Circuit Court Judge.