Monrovia – Hot Pepper Newspaper Managing Editor Philibert Browne facing libel charge is out of jail on bail after spending three nights behind bar at the Monrovia Central Prison.
Report by Kennedy L. Yangian – k[email protected]
His release from detention Monday came after a US$1.5 million bond was filed on his behalf by the Accident and Casualty Insurance Company (ACICO) but lawyer representing Lawmaker Moye has vowed to challenge the bond due to its insufficiency.
“That bond is insufficient and I am going to challenge it to ensure that the defendant gets the rightful bond,” said Cllr. Arthur Johnson, Representative Moye’s lawyer.
Editor Browne was arrested at his office late Friday afternoon by court officer from the Civil Law Court at the Temple of Justice and detained after a lawsuit filed against him by the Bong County District #2 lawmaker for story the Hot Pepper wrote accusing the lawmaker of raping a 16-year-old girl.
Representative Moye is requesting US$1.5 million dollars in damages from the Browne, Jah Johnson, the Editor-in-Chief of Hot Pepper, Alfred Togbah, the publisher of the People newspaper and Windell McInosh, a businessman.
But Defendants Togbah, Johnson and McIntosh are yet to be arrested. FrontPage Africa has reliably learned that Defendant McIntosh was arrested over the weekend but escaped.
The Bong County lawmaker told the court in his complaint that he was member of the 53rd Legislature who had earned for himself attractive historical credentials over the years in his community and Liberia at large.
He stated that sometimes in April 2016 he became a “target of blackmail founded on the pillar of political agenda and ill will against good earned reputation when he received messages from co-Defendant McInosh that caused to inform relevant authorities” about such plans of libel against him.
According to Representative Moye because of his appropriate and quick response to the organized plans perpetrated against him, the co-defendants tried to silent their action until sometimes in September of 2016 when the defendants in two separate newspapers publications decided to carry respective stories against him, which stories are characterized on falsehood and lack any factual sufficiency.
“Wherefore and in view of the foregoing, complaint prays your honor and this honourable court to grant complaint’s prayer for damages against the defendants in the amount not less than USD$5,000,000.00 in general damages to be decided by the trial jury and US$5,000.000.00 punitive and US$5,000,000.00 special damages” said Cllr. Johnson.
FrontPageAfrica was unable to speak with Publisher Browne after his release as his phone was swift off. However, a source from the Hot Pepper newspaper who spoke to this paper on the journalist’s arrest on the basis of anonymity said that Browne was illegally picked up and detained because the publisher had nothing to do with the story in question
“Mr. Browne was wrongfully detained because he has no connection with the story published in the Hot Pepper accusing the Bong County lawmaker of rape,” said the source.