Monrovia – When news spread early Monday morning at the Temple of Justice that two court officials had been arrested for alleged forgery, it became the major point of discussion at the judiciary on the first day of the week.
Report by Kennedy L. Yangian, [email protected]
Francis Morlu, Clerk of the Criminal Court “D” and Sampson Karmo, a clerk typist of the Criminal Court “B”, was picked up early Monday morning on the order of the Judiciary authority.
They were taken into a closed-door investigation after the alleged forgery scandal was uncovered, judicial sources told a FrontPage Africa reporter.
Both the Criminal Courts “D” and B’’ are responsible to try armed robbery and crime related cases such as murder and aggravated assault.
“These two court officials went beyond their bonds; why should they decide to handle divorce case when the two courts they worked did not have the jurisdiction over divorce cases,” said one court employee during a discussion at the Temple of Justice after the arrest of the two employees.
Following the closed-door investigation by Judiciary authority, the pair was forwarded to the Monrovia City Court located on the ground floor of the Temple of Justice and they were later whisked off to prison.
They will remain in detention at the Monrovia Central Prison pending prosecution.
Court records obtained from the Monrovia City Court on Monday reveal that during the period of June 2018 the two defendants allegedly used their respective positions to connive and forge court records to dissolve a marital bond between a married couple.
“The within named defendants while serving in their respective positions purposely and intentionally did connive and conspire and criminally forged and falsified court’s document of divorce purporting to dissolve a marital bond that exists between married couple,” the Court record stated.
The record further that the two court officials had used the seal of the court in the alleged forgery scandal with the intent to deceive Janice Bondo Saylay Twun by and thru her Attorney-In-Fact, Ndama Saylay, who are the defending party in the divorce case.
“The alleged act of the defendants being unlawful, wicked, criminal, illegal and intentional is in violation of Section 15.70 of the New Penal Law of Liberia there and then the crime herein the defendants did, do and commit,” the court record added.
However, attempt by lawyers representing the two employees to secure their bond proves futile.
The lawyer, who asked not to be named, accused the Monrovia City Court Magistrate Kennedy Peabody of not cooperating although he failed to state reasons for the alleged non-compliance by the magistrate.
“The allegation levied against these employees is bailable and when I tried to secure their bond Magistrate Kennedy Peabody is not cooperating with me,” said the lawyer of the two employees.
But Magistrate Peabody told FPA through his aide that he was busy with other court matters and didn’t have the time to respond to the allegation by the lawyer representing defendants Morlu and Karmo.