Monrovia – Presiding Judge Roosevelt Willie of the Criminal Court “A” at the Temple of Justice Thursday, February 28, issued a contempt charge on Cllr. Joseph Kollie over the escape of the indicted manager of the bank, Ayodeji Bejide.
Report by Kennedy L. Yangian, [email protected]
According to the court, its contempt charge against Cllr. Kollie was issued out of the communication he wrote to the Monrovia City Court on September 8, 2018 requesting the lower magisterial court to release the indicted man, Ayodeji Bejide, to travel out of the country for medical treatment.
“Cllr. Kollie upon whose application the Magistrate acted to allow the defendant to leave the country should be held in contempt to appear in court and show cause why he should not be held responsible to produce the defendant now that the three weeks as requested by him has expired and we have gone more than five months,” Presiding Judge Wille added.
Presiding Judge Willie has ordered Cllr. Kollie to appear before him on Monday, March 4, during the morning hour to show cause, why he should not be held in contempt for the escape of the GT Bank Manager.
The Insurance Company of Africa (ICA), which offered Defendant Bejide with a US$50,000 insurance bond, has also been ordered to cooperate with state prosecutors to work with Interpol for the return of the defendant to the country to stand trial.
The court’s decision was based on an application made by the legal counsel of the Insurance Company of Africa (ICA) exonerating it from the escape of the indicted GT Bank manager.
Cllr. Abraham Sillah, arguing on behalf of the ICA, told the court that the ICA is an insurance company duly organized and existing under the laws of the Republic of Liberia and authorized to execute surety bond within the Republic of Liberia.
ICA lawyer continued that in the instant case by the seizure of the travel documents of the defendant, it was clear that the defendant could not have left the country without the knowledge and consent of the Magisterial Court instead, Cllr. Kollie on September 8, 2018, who is not a counsel on record in the case, wrote and requested the magisterial court to allow him medical leave to travel out of the country without notice to state prosecutor and or the surety who posted the criminal appearance bond for the Defendant.
“Applicant says that Defendant Ajodeji Bejide having acted in bad faith and violated the terms and conditions of the surety, which is meant to secure his release from detention and presence in court while the trial of aggravated assault is ongoing herewith with draws its surety,” added the applicant.
The lawyer for ICA asked the court to grant the insurance company relief of obligation under surety bond.
State lawyer Cllr. Edwin Martin prayed the court to hold the Insurance Company of Africa (ICA) liable that the company acted and should have known the conduct of the client.
GT Bank Manager Bejide was charged for aggravated assault in August 2018 after allegedly assaulting an employee of the bank, Mr. Edward Freeman.
Freeman’s lip oozed blood when the manager threw a calculator at him.
The row over Defendant Bejide’s trial, which is now in limbo, came when he was placed on a US$50,000 insurance bond by the ICA but left the country in September 2018 after granting a three-week medical leave by the Monrovia City Court at the Temple of Justice to seek medical treatment abroad. He is yet to return since the elapse of the three weeks.
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