Monrovia – Barely two months following being released on bail from the notorious Monrovia Central Prison, five indicted officials of the Central Bank of Liberia (CBL) made first court appearance Tuesday, May 21, 2019.
Report by Kenndy L. Yangian, [email protected]
The five officials, along with their lawyers, had come to the court to justify their sureties after the prosecution lawyers had challenged their respective bonds in order to establish their adequacy.
All of them sat on the bench in row relaxed and quietly watching the proceedings from the far left corner of the court. Former Governor Milton Weeks was the first Defendant in the row followed by Charles Sirleaf, Dorbor Hagba, Richard Walker and Joseph Dennis.
Those who appeared were former Governor Weeks, Deputy Governor for Operations Sirleaf, Hagba, Director of Finance, Walker, Director for Operations and Dennis, Director for Internal Audit.
The first witness to take the stand was businessman turned politician Benoni Urey, who have provided his house as surety, on behalf of former CBL Governor Weeks and have come to the court to justify that surety.
Urey told the court that the property in question was purchased decades ago from Mr. Pratt, who is the father of Reginald Pratt and this property is located on the Police Academy Road in Paynesville and has been in his possession from the date of purchase and all taxes owed government have been duly paid and have consented for this property to be used as surety for Defendant Weeks.
“Based on my high appreciation and integrity for government institutions that are clothed with the authority to evaluate and levied taxes based on their evaluation of the property, I confirm and stand with their evaluation,” said Urey as he testified. He was discharged after the prosecution and the court had rested with question for him.
The next witness was former Commissioner General of the Liberia Telecommunications Authority (LTA), Madam Ophelia Weeks, who is a sister of former Governor Weeks. Madam Weeks told the court that the house that she presented as surety for her brother was a structure erected on a property conveyed to her by her mother and was acquired in 1959 and has met all government tax requirements.
The former LTA boss was questioned by the prosecution lawyer headed by Montserrado County Attorney Cllr Edwin Martin, who is also the lead prosecution lawyer in the case and was discharged.
Lead defense lawyer for former Governor Weeks, Cllr. Abraham Sillah, pleaded with the court for time in order for Governor Weeks’ third surety witness to take the stand and the prosecution lawyer Martin interposed no objection to the request.
Based on that Judge Peter Gbeneweleh adjourned the case to continue on Wednesday, May 22, at 9 a.m. to have the Accident and Casualty Insurance Company (ACICO) and that of the Central Bank of Liberia Management to come out and testify to the adequacy of the sureties of Defendants Dorbor Hagba, Richard Walker and Joseph Dennis.
The Accident and Casualty Insurance Company is the insurance company that provided surety for Defendants Hagba, Walker and Joseph Dennis.
The five CBL officials, who faced charges of economic sabotage, criminal conspiracy and facilitation, were arrested on February 29, 2019 at the Central Bank of Liberia head offices following the report from the Presidential Investigation Team (PIT) Report into the alleged missing 16 billion Liberian banknotes printed by Crane Currency in Sweden.