Report by Kennedy L. Yangian, [email protected]
Monrovia – The Monrovia City Court sitting on the ground floor at the Temple of Justice Friday charged a senior staff of the Liberia Revenue Authority (LRA) on three-count of felonious restraint, criminal coercion and disorderly conduct.
Part of a writ of arrest issued by the court Friday afternoon reads: “You are hereby commanded to arrest the living body of Abraham Sinayoko, defendant and bring him before the Monrovia City Court, Temple of Justice, Montserrado County to answer the charge of felonious restraint, criminal coercion”.
It continued: “Contrary to and from force and effect to the statutory laws of Liberia in such cases made proven against the peace and dignity for the Republic of Liberia and for so doing, this shall constitute your legal and sufficient authority and have there this writ of arrest.”
Sinayoko, dressed in a white shirt and brown khaki trouser, was arrested Friday afternoon by officers of the Monrovia Court where he spent few minutes on the prisoner bench before he was handcuffed and taken to prison.
Few minutes later he was escorted back to the court where he was ordered released by Magistrate Kennedy Peabody after some lawyers of the LRA had pleaded with the court for his release.
The defendant refused to make any comment upon his release while he and the team of LRA lawyers were walking out of the court.
“His lawyers signed for him to have him release for now, however, the matter is still pending before the court,” Cllr. Arthur Johnson, the lead lawyer for the complaint Eric Nagbe, told reporters.
Defendant Sinayoko is expected to return to the courtroom for hearing when the case is assigned.
The arrest of the LRA employee stemmed from a complaint filed to the Monrovia City Court by Eric Nagbe.
Complaint Nagbe, who was also present at the court, alleged that on May 22, 2018 in the City of Monrovia Sinayoko with “some level of malice and wicked intent” purposely and internationally seized his vehicle.
Nagbe added that the defendant also accused him of evading government taxes and rained insults on him in the public which caused him (Nagbe) serious embarrassment thus denying him access to his vehicle and subjecting him to public inconvenience.
“The alleged act of the defendant being unlawful, wicked and intentional is a violation of Section14.51, 14.27 and 17.3 of the New Penal Law of the Republic of Liberia, there and then the crime herein defendant did do and commit,” the writ of arrest issued by the court added.
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