Monrovia – Senate Pro-Tempore Albert Chie Thursday, April 4, wrote plenary of the Liberian Senate requesting it to investigate Senator Sando Johnson of Bomi County on the issues of behavioral pattern.
Report by Henry Karmo, [email protected]
According to the Pro-Temp, Sen. Johnson had accused the Senate of receiving bribe to impeach former Supreme Court Justice Kabineh Ja’neh. The communication was read in plenary and turned over to the Senate leadership for further action.
According to Sen. Chie’s communication to the Senate plenary, Sen. Johnson made the allegation at the Unity Party Alternative National Congress and Liberty Party’s coalition signing ceremony.
Chie, who is the first among equals in the Senate, is currently out of the country. However, this has not stopped him from accusing his colleague Senator from Bomi County.
According to Chie, Johnson also accused the Jury Secretary, Sen. Henry Yallah of Bong County, of ballot tempering during the voting process at the end of the impeachment trial of Ja’neh.
Sen. Johnson is also being accused of “disrespecting” the President Pro-Tempore and by extension the Liberian Senate by using invectives and other profane languages in the Senate chatroom, in the media and through massages he sent directly to the President Pro-Tempore.
It is also stated in the complaint that Sen. Johnson has embarked upon a smeared campaign to tarnish the reputation of the Senate, individual Senators and thus bringing that august body to public ridicule.
“All of the behavioral actions of Senator Johnson, as indicated above, contravene the Senate discussions held in Executive, as indicated in count no.1 also breaches the rule of the Senate.”
On Tuesday, April 2, the Senate Plenary voted to shut down the Senate chatroom until guidelines governing it are crafted. Senators Johnson Chie of Sinoe County, to be assisted by Senators Daniel Naatehn of Gbapolu and Henrique Tokpah of Bong, was appointed to chair the drafting of a set of guidelines for the chatroom.
Early this week, Sen. Johnson is said to have written the Presiding Officer calling for a recount of the ballots cast in the impeachment trial of Associate Justice Ja’neh.
Sen. Johnson believes the results announced to remove Justice Ja’neh from the Supreme Court Bench did not commensurate with the ballots cast.
In a communication to the Presiding Officer of the Senate on Tuesday, April 2, Sen. Johnson noted that nine of 29 Senators, declaring that the impeachment trial and the removal of Justice Ja’neh was unconstitutional, illegal and in gross violation of his right and will therefore not support his removal.
He noted in the communication that, Sen. Chie, being the foreman of the trial went ahead and conducted a vote which result was protested by him and other senators.
In his communication, the Bomi County Senator also accused the Senate Pro-Tempore, Albert Chie, of wanting to take his life.
According to Sen. Johnson, he was insulted, assaulted and harassed on Friday, March 30, by the Pro-Temp in the presence of some senators.
He alleged that the Pro-Temp threatened to order his security to drag him out of his office and beat him publicly.