Monrovia – As the November Term of Court opens Monday across the country, the Criminal Court “C” at the Temple of Justice has gotten a newly assigned judge to try economic crimes.
Report by Kennedy L. Yangian kennedylyangian @frongtpagerafricaonline.com
Judge Yarmie Gbeisay, a former lawyer with a long year of experience in the legal profession was appointed to the position of Judge by President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf earlier this year.
Judge Gbeisay’s new assignment to replace Judge Emery Paye was made known during the opening of the November 2016 Term of Court on Monday.
It is part of the Judiciary rotational process of judges.
Judge Gbeisay, formerly assigned in Nimba County is coming to Criminal Court “C” amid reports of 139 cases pending on the court’s docket with the latest being the bribery case involving former House Speaker Alex Tyler, Grand Cape Mount County Senator Varney Sherman and others.
Former Speaker Tyler and others were indicted on May 24, 2016 when a Global Witness Report accused them of bribery in the amount of US$950,000 to change the Public Procurement and Concession Act (PPCC) in favor of a British company, Sable Mining.
The Grand Jury of Montserrado County indicted Speaker Tyler and others on May 24, 2016.
Besides being charged with bribery, former speaker Tyler and others stand to face charges of economic sabotage, criminal solicitation, facilitation and conspiracy.
They were arraigned by the Criminal Court “C” under the gavel of the then Judge Emery Paye on May 25, 2016 where they were placed on bond until trial.
Barely six months after their indictment, the Special Presidential Task Force headed by the Minister of State Without Profolio Cllr. Fonati Kofa announced last week in an interview that the case was not dead as the taskforce was ready to prosecute amid speculation in some quarters of the country that the taskforce does not have the evidence against the defendants.
The speculation that the taskforce does not have evidence against the defendants is being made in the wake of a boast from the Chief Prosecution of the task force, Cllr. Daku Mulbah, that the task force is not worrying about evidence as it has all evidence to prosecute its case.
“People who think that the task force does not have evidence to prosecute the defendants are joking because we already have the evidence on hand and not looking for it,” said Cllr. Daku Mulbah when he spoke to reporters on the issue lately last month.
Cllr.Konati continued that the Global Witness Report case will commence in December which falls under the November 2016 Term of Court at the Criminal Court “C” but the proceeding will be held with camera posted in the court room for the public to watch .
But lawyer representing Cllr. Varney Sherman in the trial has kicked against the move by the presidential task force to post camera in the court, indicating that such move was illegal and unprecedented.
Cllr. Frank Musa Dean told FrontPage Africa that if the Special Presidential Task Force wishes to post a camera in the court room, it should be done through a submission made to the court which the defense counsel will have to respond to but FrontPageAfrica has reliably learned from judiciary sources that the court will not allow any camera posted in the court room during the trial as it is forbidden for photo taken in court room during trial.
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