Monrovia – Five men accused of impersonating police officers and extorting money from motorists in the Red-Light commercial area of Paynesville were on Monday, May 12, turned over to the Monrovia City Court for prosecution.
By Victoria G. Wesseh [email protected]
The suspects — Cornelius Deacon Neville, Peter J. Johnson, Moses Kolako, Peter A. Kollie Jr., and Abraham Saah — were arrested by the Liberia National Police on Saturday, May 10. They have been formally charged with impersonating public officials and forgery.
According to court documents, the men posed as traffic police officers, using counterfeit identification cards and paraphernalia to conduct unauthorized stops and demand payments from commercial drivers.
One of the defendants, Cornelius Deacon Neville, was reportedly in possession of a fake police identification card labeled with LNP number 4546. Another, Peter A. Kollie Jr., was found carrying an expired Ministry of Justice ID bearing number 16-01.
The police charge sheet indicates that the suspects “knowingly, purposely, and criminally dressed and acted as traffic officers without legal authority, performing active police duties.”
During the initial court appearance, two of the defendants were released after their legal representatives filed criminal appearance bonds. The remaining suspects remain in custody pending further proceedings.
Cornelius Deacon Neville and Peter A. Kollie Jr. have been charged with impersonating an official under Chapter 12, Subchapter B, Section 12.35 of the Penal Code and forgery under Chapter 15, Subchapter E, Section 15.70.
Defendants Moses Kolako, Peter J. Johnson, and Abraham Saah were charged solely with impersonating public officials. The court also noted that additional individuals may be charged in absentia based on ongoing investigations.
The case is pending trial before the Monrovia City Court.