Monrovia – A source within the Supreme Court has told FrontPageAfrica that a petition has been filed to the high court to drop charges against three of the eight indictees in the Sable Mining case.
Report by Kennedy L. Yangian, [email protected]
The source says former National Investment Commission Chairman Richard Tolbert, the British Company Sable Mining, and Klaus Pirek are mentioned in the petition, which has already been filed to the Supreme Court to drop charges against.
The petition, according to the source, was filed by Cllr. Arthur Johnson before the Supreme Court in December 2018.
While the source is yet to make known the content of the petition, the prosecution might have chosen to use the petition to drop charges against the three Defendants, either for them to serve as state witnesses or due to lack of sufficient evidence to continue the prosecution.
Tolbert, who is the former NIC boss, is being indicted in the Sable Mining bribery scandal for allegedly receiving US$20,000 from Co-defendant Varney Sherman and Hans Van Niekerk as a contribution to the Invisible Eleven, a local football club.
The indictment further alleged that Van Niekerk an official of the Sable Mining is reported to have visited Tolbert at his office and they both discussed a wide range of investment opportunities for Sable operation in Liberia based on which discussion Van Niekerk and Co-Defendant Sherman were invited to the IE fundraising rally where they made the cash contribution of US$20,000 to the local club.
At the time of the resumption of the Sable Mining trial in 2016, Tolbert, who is charged with bribery, economic sabotage, criminal conspiracy, facilitation, and solicitation, was represented by now Solicitor General-designate Syrenius Cephas and current Montserrado County Attorney Cllr. Edwin Martin.
Despite plan by the government to drop charges against the three Defendants, the Sable Mining bribery case resumes on Monday, June 17 at the Criminal Court “C” at the Temple of Justice.
Eight Defendants have pleaded not guilty and waived a jury trial, requesting a bench trial where Judge Peter Gbeneweleh will hear the matter.
Amid the non-guilty plea by the Defendants, Assistant Justice Minister for Litigation, Wesseh Alphonso Wesseh asked the court for up to Wednesday, June 19, 2019, to produce his first witness. Cllr Wesseh’s request was granted by the Judge Gbeneweleh.
Those former and current government officials that are indicted in the Sable Mining bribery case include former Speaker Alex Tyler, Grand Cape Mount Senator Varney Sherman, Bomi County Senator Morris Saytumah, former Mines & Energy Minister Eugene Shannon, former Deputy Minister of Mines & Energy ECB Jones, and businessman Christopher Onanuga.
Others are the former Chairman of the Public Procurement and Concession Commission Willie Belleh, NIC former boss Richard Tolbert, Andrew Groves, Klaus Pirek and the Sable Mining.
The prosecution of the defendants was germinated when they were accused by the London based non-governmental organization Global Witness of allegedly receiving US$950,000 from Sable Mining to change the PPCC Act in favor of the British company to mine the Wologisi Mountain in Lofa County.