Monrovia – Barely a week after the Supreme Court Justice-In-Chamber, Justice Yussif Kaba issued a mandate to proceed, the trial of five Central Bank officials resumed Monday, September 16, with the defendants pleading with the court not to be tried by jurors.
The plead from the defendants through their legal counsel, comes after Presiding Judge Blamo Dixon had given them a week break to choose whether to be tried by a jury or have a bench trial.
A bench trial, as requested by the defendants and accepted by the court, means that the lone presiding Judge will hear the case and make a determination at the end of the hearing.
“One of the counsels for the defendants, begs to inform this court that after consultation with the defendants, the defendants waive jury trial and submit this case to a bench trial,” said Cllr. Johnny Momoh, on Monday.
Following Cllr. Momoh’s plead with the court, prosecution lawyer, Cllr. Jerry Garlawolo replied and told the court that the prosecution was contemplating a selection of jurors but was taken by surprise when the defense waived jury trial consistent with Chapter 20 of the Criminal Procedure Law.
“Wherefore and in view of the facts and circumstances, the state requests for continuance to tomorrow morning, September 17, 2019 to allow the state to outline the theory of its case and to produce its evidence,” said Cllr. Garlawolo, who added that the state is interested in hearing of the matter.
After Cllr. Garlawolo ended his statement, Cllr. Momoh came in with another application to the court that under the law, the prosecution must be ready at all times to proceed with the trial of the case as in the instant matter indicating that the prosecution drew the indictment based upon a theory and for the prosecution to request the court for time to outline its theory of the case is without any legal foundation.
Cllr. Momoh then stated that notwithstanding, with the request from the prosecution for time, the defense counsel interposed no objection for the granting of the prosecution’s request for time.
Judge Blamo Dixon ruled that after the defense counsel’s interposition of no objection to the prosecution’s request for time, such request was granted and ordered the case adjourned to resume on Tuesday, September 17, 2019 at 2 PM.
The five CBL officials are charged with economic sabotage, money laundering, criminal conspiracy, facilitation and solicitation.
The charges were brought against the defendants after a probe by the Presidential Investigative Team (PIT) set up by President George Manneh Weah into the alleged missing L$16 billion printed under the watch of the CBL by Crane Currency of Sweden and brought into the country in 2016 by the Central Bank of Liberia.
The five defendants are held for over L$2,645,000,000 and US$837,000 of the alleged missing L$16 billion but all five have pleaded not guilty as claimed in the indictment by state prosecutors, hereby joining issue with the state.