By Never G. Lomo,garmahlomo@gmail.com
The Chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee, Grand Cape Mount County Senator H. Varney Sherman, who is facing trial in the Sable Mining bribery case, has claimed that the Ellen Johnson Sirleaf government was pursuing a “political witch-hunt” against him and others indicted.
Taking the witness stand in the Criminal Court ‘C’ in Monrovia on Monday, July 1, 2019, Sen. Sherman said it was a “case without any evidence”.
He said less than two weeks after the publication of the Deceivers on May 11, 2016, the Special Presidential task force set up by former President Sirleaf drew an indictment against some of them on May 24, 2016. He was indicted along with former House Speaker Alex Tyler, from National Investment Commission (NIC) Chairman, Dr. Richard Tolbert, among others.
The Grand Cape Mount County Senator said they used only the Deceivers as its evidence and two gentlemen called, Marc Kollie and Blamo Kofa as witness before the grand jury.
“I advised, consulted and prepared documents for many foreign investors, including Sable Mining Africa Ltd,” the former Lawyer of Sable Mining company said.
In his testimony, Senator Sherman urged the Judge of Criminal Court C to read the indictment that was drawn against them on May 24,2016 and see how flimsy it was adding that it was intended to damaged his hard earned reputation and perhaps to even handcuff him.
On June 6, 2016, he said the second indictment came out which was less than four weeks, indicting few of them adding that again they use the Deceivers and testimony of the same Marc Kollie and Blamo Kofa, referring the presiding Judge to go back to the record of the court and read the June 6,2016 indictment.
By doing so, he said the Judge would ask himself whether the evidence that was submitted to the Grand Jury was sufficient to even establish probable cause for the commission of the crimes.
Sen. Sherman added that they even accused them of money laundering, meaning washing money adding that when the special presidential task force eventually issued a report on the investigation, it was December 16, 2016 after they had already got two indictments one on May 24, 2016 and the other on June 6,2016 and it was in the special presidential task force on Global witness.
During his testimony in court on Monday, the Liberian Senator said that they have been wrongfully and illegally charged by the government, adding that this was what led to the consolidated indictment against them.
He testified that Global witness a Non-governmental Organization headquarters in London, England, with the objective of investigating and reporting on alleged improprieties in developing countries, published on the internet and in Cyber Space. I
The document entitled, The Deceivers, alleged that Sable Mining had given him (Senator Sherman) the amount of US$450,000.00 to bribe Liberian government officials to insert a section 75 in the amendment and restatement of public procurement and concession Act, 2005 which provision allows for non-bidding acquisition process for Liberian minerals. This is compared to competitive bidding, and they were alleged that the amount of US 500,000.00 was given to big-boy one and two for which they have no additional evidence.
The Deceivers was written by Neophytes, incompetent people who knew nothing, absolutely-positively noting about the investment law in general or about Liberia investment law in particular and they never cared to investigate.
During his testimony, senator Sherman disclosed that a special presidential task force headed by Cllr. Fonati Kofa was appointed by former President Sirleaf and she gave a million of United states dollars to Cllr. Kofa to investigate them who were alleged by Global witness to have received bribe to insert section 75 into the 2010 PPCC act.
He further said they copies of letters for some requests by Cllr. Kofa for funding the aggregate of which is in excess of US 4.5m and each letter of request was approved by Minister Sylvester Grigsby of the Ministry of State for presidential affairs. The letter, he said was directed to the Ministry of Finance and funding passed through the National Security Agency so that they would not have accounted for it later, since the National Security Agency is not audited.
Testifying further, Sen. Sherman added that portion of the money was used to subject them to trial by the media local radio station and local newspaper and the internet as well hoping that they will be able to put public sentiment against them.
He narrated that what is most important, Jonathan Gant and his cohorts of Global witness are Neophytes, incompetent, totally and absolutely ignorant of Liberia law and processes.
Sen. Sherman further said that former President Sirleaf appointed a special task force that was just as ignorant of Liberia investment law and processes and worse of all they did not care to investigate money whether it was taken and vagrants and political vendettas overcame them.