Temple of Justice, Monrovia – Criminal Court ‘C’ Judge Blamo Dixon has issued a writ of arrest for Victor S. Yowo, indicted former employee of the Liberia Electricity Corporation (LEC) who has been charged with the alleged commission of the crimes of power theft and economic sabotage.
Judge Blamo Dixon issued the arrest order on defendant Yowo for his failure to appear before the court to justify his criminal appearance bond.
Judge Dixon issued the arrest order on March 30, 2021.
“You are hereby commanded to arrest the living body of Victor Yowo, defendant therein named above, charged with the crime of bail jumping/Contempt of court, and forthwith bring him before this honorable court to show cause why he should not and cannot be held in Contempt.”
The Writ adds: “That is to say, the defendant tendered a Criminal Appearance Bond, thereby securing his presence in court from day to day until otherwise ordered; instead, the defendant has failed to appear in court when the court needed him thereby impeding the function of the court; hence this writ of arrest for bail jumping and contempt of court.”
Defendant Yowo had filed a criminal appearance bond before the court to secure his release after he was jailed for alleged power theft and economic sabotage.
But prosecution lawyers resisted the bond on grounds that it does not meet the legal requirements.
Since his release, defendant Yowo had allegedly refused to appear in court to justify the bond, leading to the writ of arrest.
Defendant Yowo who is believed to be on the run, worked as a security personnel of the LEC prior to his dismissal for the alleged crimes.
Speaking to a team of reporters at the Temple of Justice in Monrovia, LEC Legal Consultant, Cllr. J. Abel Knight said defendant Yowo bond is defective and does not meet the legal requirements under the law.
“He filed a bond of L$400,000 but we (Prosecution) said it should have been L$600,000, and so the defense filed a justification. The assignment was made for them to come and justify the bond but they didn’t appear, and so the prosecution prayed that the justification and the bond be set aside and defendant be re-arrested for bill jumping. That arrest order was sent out, and the Sheriff return that the defendant could not be found,” Cllr. Knight added.
It can be recalled that on Wednesday, November 4, 2021 Defendant Yowo was incarcerated at the Monrovia Central Prison for his alleged involvement in “stealing” current (power theft).
According to the initial (first writ that brought him to court) writ of arrest, defendant Yowo has allegedly been stealing several electrical materials belonging to the LEC and using same for power theft in the Pico Island Community in Congo Town, where he lives.
The writ also added that defendant Yowo has been purporting in the community (Pico Island Community) to be an electrician of the LEC to illegally sell stealing current to community dwellers.
The writ stated: “During the period of October 2020, in the area of Pico Island, the within named defendant being there and then in violation of section 15.88 of the Penal Law, unlawfully is in possession of several electrical materials/items belonging to the Liberia Electricity Corporation, which said items or electrical materials include: 25 meters, 4 electrical coil cables, transformers, breakers, Street light bulbs, Connectors, light poles climbers, safety belts among others purposely used by the said defendant to conduct illegal connection in the name of being LEC worker, and out of deception exhorting money from people and converting same to his personal use and benefit with the intent to deprive the LEC and the Government of Liberia.”
Defendant Yowo arrest grew out of a writ of search and seizure issued out of the Monrovia City Court on the complaint of the LEC.
According to information gathered by this paper, the writ of search and seizure was issued on defendant Yowo following a tip off from community dwellers that he has been allegedly stealing the company’s (LEC) electrical materials and using same for power theft in the community.