PHOTO: Bishop Samuel Quire (Left) and Rev. Dr. Samuel Karyea (Right)
By Garmah Never Lomo, garmahlomo@gmail.com
Monrovia- The United Methodist Church in Liberia is again in the news for the wrong reason for allegedly shielding one of their senior pastors, Rev. Dr. Samuel Karyea who was charged for raping a 15-year-old girl in Gbarnga, Bong County last year.
Rev. Karyea has now returned to the pulpit, preaching and even serving communion, in the wake of his suspension by the church in April 2020, which was publically announced.
Yet, the church has so not pronounced to the public that his suspension has been lifted.
According to credible sources close to the church, Rev. Dr. Samuel Karyea has given a new job in the office of the Resident Bishop Rev. Samuel J. Quire as human resource coordinator.
When contacted recently, Rev. Karyea confirmed that he is currently occupying this post in the Bishop’s office, but he declined to comment on reports that the Church has been shielding him since the rape saga emerged.
The source further told this news outlet that it was the church that heavily sponsored the departure of the rape survivor and her mother on their trip to Ghana, in order for them to leave Liberia to “save the face of the church”.
However, the beleaguered cleric has declined to comment on circumstances surrounding the flight of the 15-year-old alleged rape survivor and her mother and reports that the leadership of the Methodist Church has been shielding him.
Neither has Methodist Bishop Samuel Quire publically commented on the claims that his Church is shielding the pastor. For over two weeks, efforts to get the Bishop via mobile phone has been unsuccessful. Rev. Karyea’s promise to ask him to call or text this news outlet concerning the inquiry has so far failed to come to fruition for over two weeks now.
Rev. Karyea spent eight months behind bars at the Gbarnga Central prison in Bong County.
But because of the disappearance of the rape survivor and her mother, the charge was dropped by the Circuit Court in this County, as neither the girl nor any other witness has been produced in court so far.
On November 23,2020, the 9th Judicial Circuit Court in the central Liberian city of Gbarnga, Bong County granted bail of the Methodist Church Pastor, Rev. Dr. Samuel Karyea who allegedly raped a15-year-old girl, after state Lawyers’ failed to proceed with the case.
The court, presided over by now deceased Judge George C-Katakpah, made the decision to set free the Methodist cleric on Monday, November 23, 2020, after state lawyers again filed another motion for continuance into the case, which was denied by the court. This situation prompted the Circuit Court to release the Methodist Church Pastor on bail for two weeks.
Now on Wednesday, January 20, 2021, the Circuit Court dropped the charge against the Methodist cleric without prejudice to the state, making him a free man but the case could be recalled in the future if witnesses and evidence can be brought forward.
Fingers pointed at the Church for allegedly compromising case
It is alleged that some top clerics of the Methodist Church in Liberia and also are who friend of the accused sponsored the rape survivor and her mother who are believed to be in another country, with no means of communication. This has not been independently verified.
Since the arrest and subsequent indictment by the ground jury of Bong County, the 15 years old rape survivor and her mother has since disappeared and can’t be seen for the defendant to go through trial.
But sources within the circle of the Ministry of Justice have accused senior members of the Methodist Church of sponsoring the survivor and her mother as means of shielding the church face from shame brought by their cleric man.
Even though they issued a press statement suspending their clergyman for time indefinite until he can exonerate himself from his alleged statutory rape crime, but many termed it as mere press release or cover up.
Defendant Karyea was always present in court along with the president special envoy and also a senior pastor of the Methodist Church, Rev. Dr. Larry Bropleh, something many think might have influenced the case. Dr. Bropleh is Advisor to President George Manneh Weah.
After Police arrested and charged the senior Methodist Church cleric for allegedly raping a minor in Gbarnga, Bong County, central Liberia, the church suspended Rev. Dr. Samuel Karyea. Rev. Karyea, who was the Senior Pastor of the St. John United Methodist Church and Dean of the Gbarnga School of Theology, who was arrested, investigated, charged and sent to the 9th Judicial Circuit Court for alleged statutory rape by the Liberia National Police.
Rev. Karyea reclaims his innocence
However, shortly after the court dismissed rape charge against the Methodist senior cleric on Wednesday, January 20, 2021, Rev. Dr. Karyea he spoke with www.newspublictrust.com in an exclusive Interview saying that he is grateful to God that he has finally been freed and more besides he knew that he could be free because he trusted God.
Rev. Karyea said that the allegation against him was meant to damage his hard earned character, “because we live in an evil world where people envy you for what you can do.”
He said: “Once you are a Christian, you must go through challenges in life and as such, it was his owner challenge he went through because the Bible didn’t say that everything will roosy neither bread or better.”
Therefore, Rev. Karyea said believers must always be ready at any time to go through challenges something he gave glory to the almighty God that he underwent during his time of challenge in his life.
He explained that despite the government of Liberia indictment against him without the best evidence, he has no intention of filing lawsuit against the government for their false allegation against him.
The 15 year-old survivor was like a daughter to him whom everyone knew, including all members and school authority and more besides she was his sponsor student, the Methodist Pastor told this news outlet.
The alleged rapist indicated that most often, the Devil used people who closer to you either to destroy you or bring you down in a public disrepute and it was such a case he found him in.
As to his position on the rape charge, Rev. Dr. Karyea maintained that he is not in favor of rape neither is he in anyway supporting rape because rape is not a good thing.
“A man that rape is not a real man because it another disease in Liberia that needs serious medication for would be perpetrators,” the Methodist Church Pastor added.
According to him, he usually advises his male children not to be involved with rape in any forms and manner.
Case background
The dismissal of the rape case against the Methodist cleric is in line with Liberia’s Criminal procedure law Chapter 18 section 18.2
Which states:
18.2. Dismissal by court for failure to proceed with prosecution.
Unless good cause is shown, a court shall dismiss a complaint against a defendant who is not indicted by the end of the next succeeding term after his arrest for an indictable offense or his appearance in court in response to a summons or notice to appear charging him with such an offense. The court says, Rev. Dr. Samuel Karyea will be set free after the two weeks, if state Prosecutors cannot proceed with the matter, it will surely grant defense lawyer Golafalley motion for dismissal filed.
When the case commenced on November 18, 2020, state Prosecutors filed a motion of continuance into the matter which was granted by the court and the case was scheduled for hearing on November 23, 2020, when the state lawyers again filed another motion for continuance due to their unreadiness to proceed with the case. After state lawyers’ second motion for continuance was denied, the defense lawyer Mohammed Golafalley filed a motion to dismiss charge against his client, Rev. Karyea.
But his motion was suspended by the court due to the holding of the Liberian National Bar Association annual conference which was expected to commence from November 28-December 1, 2020. Motion to dismiss is in line with Chapter 18.2 of the Criminal procedure law of Liberia which states
18.2. Dismissal by court for failure to proceed with prosecution.
Unless good cause is shown, a court shall dismiss a complaint against a defendant who is not indicted by the end of the next succeeding term after his arrest for an indictable offense or his appearance in court in response to a summons or notice to appear charging him with such an offense. The court says, Rev. Dr. Samuel Karyea will be set free after the two weeks, if state Prosecutors cannot proceed with the matter, it will surely grant defense lawyer Golafalley motion for dismissal filed.
A motion for continuance simple means to postphone or ask for time. Rev. Dr. Samuel Karyea immediately after his release, went to the Nation’s Capital Monrovia to have a rest. The teenage rape survivor and her mother apparently avoided the court after a Methodist Church cleric, the alleged perpetrator was denied bail. The 9th Judicial Circuit Court in Gbarnga, Bong County is due to begin the trial shortly, with likelihood of the trial being aborted.
The proceedings into the trial of Pastor Samuel Karyea of the United Methodist Church came after he was denied bail in July this year over the alleged rape of a 15-year-old school girl. It is predicted that with the disappearance of the alleged rape survivor and her mother, Dr. Karyea might likely be let off the hook from his rape charge, as their whereabouts remain unknown. Defendant Karyea was indicted during the May A. D. Term of court without the best evidence in line with the Criminal procedure law Chapter 21.2.
It is expected that the Methodist cleric may be freed on grounds that the survivor’s mother had told state prosecutors that she did not complain to anyone that her daughter was raped.
Rev. Dr. Karyea was indicted by the ground jury of Bong County during the May A.D. 2020 term of court for the crime of statutory rape.
Shying away from the court process
Besides, she said that she was “on prayer ground” and she could pray for the state prosecutor to be dismissed. After reportedly threatening the state prosecutor in Gbarnga, he tried to explain to the mother of the girl about the importance of Justice, but she is said to have cut off her mobile phone while he was in conversation with the mother. Legal people say in such a case, the matter cannot be prosecuted without the victim. And at the same time, the defendant cannot be behind bars after two terms of court when the survivor cannot be found.
According to police investigation, defendant Karyeah, age 55 allegedly raped a 15 year-old girl, who was on his list of sponsored students at the Williams V.S. Tubman High school in Gbarnga. The cleric is said to be married with wife and children staying together but went to rape a minor.
Rev. Karyea was first picked up by the police for allegedly raping the survivor for the first time in the Lelekpayea community, where the survivor and her parents also live but that incident was said to be compromised by parents, after the girl complained of the sexual acted meted out against her allegedly by this servant of God. The Second alleged rape incident allegedly occurred on the compound of the school of theology, where the victim again complained to her parents but it was never taken serious.
Police were informed when a Human Rights and some Civil Society groups came together and issued a press statement, pressuring the police for the immediate arrested of the clergy man. In a swift manner, the police moved in and had the Pastor arrested, investigated, charged and forwarded to court.
Pastor Karyeah was behind bar awaiting court trial. In a press statement on Thursday, April 2, 2020, the United Methodist Church called on the Government of Liberia to fast-track his trial, and said they “regret the alleged sexual assault carried out by one of its pastors, citing that, the law must take its course against the clergyman.” The investigation established that in September last year, the victim was firstly tempered with in the Lelekpayea community and later on the Compound of the Gbarnga School of Theology. UMC-Liberia has meanwhile called for the speedy trail of their clergymen, adding that, it strongly believed in the smooth adjudication of the rule of law,” the statement from the Methodist Church
The defendant was represented by Atty. Mohammed F.Golafalley while the state was represented by the County Attorney Jonathan Flomo.