Monrovia – Pastor John Iledare, a Nigerian prelate, and resident of Duazon in Margibi County, is being detained at the Monrovia Central Prison on the order of the Monrovia City Court pending prosecution for allegedly possessing US$48,612,000.00 counterfeit bank notes.
By Kennedy L. Yangian, [email protected]
Police arrested Iledare on May 26, 2018, for allegedly being in possession of the counterfeit banknotes in the denomination of 50s and 100s.
It is the biggest counterfeit scandal to hit the country market amid increasing upward change in the exchange rate which now stands at LD$143 to US$1.00.
Iledare, who has been in the custody of the police undergoing investigation, was forwarded to the Monrovia City Court at Temple of Justice and ordered detained at the Monrovia Central Prison on three counts of criminal conspiracy, forgery, economic sabotage and money laundering.
Those charges are in violation of Chapter 15, sections 15.70, 15.80, 15.52 of the revised penal law of Liberia.
The Nigerian prelate, according to officers of the Liberia National Police, admitted during the investigation of being in possession of the counterfeit banknotes in the presence of his lawyer identified as Atty. Amos Holmes.
“Defendant Amos John Iledare admitted to police investigation through a written statement that the United States dollars counterfeit 252 pieces confiscated by the LNP in the denominations of 50 and 100 bills respectively belongs to him,” revealed the police charge sheet, copy of which is in the possession of this paper.
According to the police, Pastor lledare also claimed that he had been using the same counterfeit bank notes before he became a pastor but has since kept the counterfeit into his house ceiling.
As part of its investigation, the police claimed that the counterfeits in the denomination 100 bills were black notes and their serial numbers could not easily be traced.
On Monday, June 4, the defendant was sent to prison and can be free only when he obtains a bond as the charges against him is bailable under Liberian laws. He failed to secure a criminal appearance bond to have him temporarily release.
Pastor lledare refused to speak with reporters who made attempts.