Monrovia – Senator George Manneh Weah, represented by his lawyers, will face a Newton County Judge in the U.S. of Georgia Wednesday in a Child Abandonment case as his lawyers look to have an arrest warrant thrown out.
The Newton County Court issued a warrant charging the former Liberian international with child abandonment and accused Senator Weah of failing to pay for child support.
The Newton County Court in the U.S. State of George on April 18, 2016 issued a warrant for the arrest of Weah for child abandonment. The petition was filed by his 10-year-old daughter’s mother, Meapeh Gono Glay.
Under Georgia law, child abandonment is automatically treated as a felony if the non-custodial parent, which would be Mr. Weah in this case, is out of state. And, if found guilty, Mr. Weah could face up to 12 months in prison.
Kenna White, the Clerkof the court for criminal hearings of the Newton County Court in Covington, Georgia, confirmed to VoA last week that a petition was filed by Meapeh Gono-Glay, the mother of Weah’s 10-year-old daughter. The court official also confirmed that a hearing has been scheduled on May 11, 2016.
Weah’s aides and supporters have said the warrant is a calculated propaganda intended to diminish the football legend’s political momentum heading into the 2017 presidential race.
FrontPageAfrica has learned that Senator Weah did not fly to the U.S. for the hearing but will be represented by his lawyers in Wednesday’s hearing. The Senator could face up to 12 months in prison if found culpable.
At Wednesday’s hearing, FrontPageAfrica has learned that the mother’s lawyers will be asking the court to reinstated the warrant which was withdrawn based on “misinformation to the court”.
“Wednesday’s hearing is not a child support hearing”, but a warrant hearing, said a source closed to the case against the Montserrado County Senator.
Prior to the warrant being filed, Mr. Weah hired a lawyer to take in a check of one hundred and sixty U.S. dollars claiming that he only makes one thousand ninety U.S. dollars as Senator in Liberia and that he has two other minor kids born in 2000 and 2012 and can only afford to pay $US160.
FrontPageAfrica has learned that that check never reached the mother – a charge Senator Weah’s lawyers will be looking to convince the judge that he did in fact submit the check.
The actual Child Support hearing will be held on June 28. Both Mr. Weah and Gono-Glay have been asked to submit their financial affidavits. The State of New York has asked the pair to submit a sworn income affidavit to determine honest payment of support in the ongoing saga.
According to the communication in possession of FrontPageAfrica, the State of Georgia has requested the state of New York through the City Court of New York Law Department Family Division to investigate the finances of Mr. Weah further and effect support and also have him repay arrears for any income based social services the child may have received.
To do that, the family court is requesting sworn affidavit of income, assets declaration, tax document from both parties. The hearing, according to the communication, has been set for June 28.
Senator Weah is listed as a resident of Rose Dale, New York. Weah’s illustrious soccer career in Europe lasted more than a decade and he played for teams including Paris Saint Germain in France, AC Milan in Italy and Chelsea in the United Kingdom.
Weah became the first non-European to win the European player of the year award in 1995, the same year he picked up the African and World player of the year awards.