MONROVIA – In a rather unexpected move, Solicitor General Cllr. Syranius Cephus on Tuesday admonished his fellow prosecuting lawyers not to challenge the criminal appearance bond filed by the ANC political leader on whom the Monrovia City Court served a Writ of Arrest for alleged forgery and criminal conspiracy.
This followed almost 45 minutes of closed-door discussion held between the Solicitor General, lawyers representing Mr. Alexander Cummings and Judge Joma Jallah.
Returning to courtroom after the deliberations, Cllr. Cephus said, “Cummings is an honorable man and should not be treated ordinarily because he has secured a bond. He is free to go anywhere.”
Cllr. Cephus further indicated that the essence of the criminal appearance bond is to ensure that Mr. Cummings avails himself to the court whenever he is needed.
Mr. Cummings filed a US$2,500 criminal appearance bond.
The ANC political leader on Monday accused the George Weah-led government of conniving with the political leader of the All Liberian Party (ALP), which is also a member of the opposition Collaborating Political Parties (CPP), to further enhance the disunity brewing among the opposition political parties.
However, Information Minister Ledgerhood Rennie debunked the allegation against the government and noted that, “The Liberian Government is focused on continuing its efforts at delivering on the national development agenda and has interest in the petit and divisive internal political arrangements of the CPP.”
The ALP had announced their withdrawal from the CPP which comprise four opposition political parties including the ALP, ANC, Liberty Party (LP) and the Unity Party (UP).
The ALP on Monday complained Mr. Cummings and the ANC to the court alleging that Cummings had illegally attached the signatures of its leaders to an alleged altered Framework Document filed with the National Elections Commission.
Though the CPP Framework Document was crafted when the ALP political leader, it was submitted to the National Elections Commission under the Cummings’ administration following some revisions after a public backlash at some provisions in the original document.
Cummings has always maintained his innocence on the alleged tampering attributed to him. He told the BCC Focus on Africa on Monday, “How will I change a document that also affects me?”
But Urey remains bent on his allegation.
Cummings, upon his release by the court on Tuesday, said he sees the ALP’s action as an opportunity to lay the allegation of the tampering of the CPP Framework Document to rest. He said it is his intension to see the entire saga settled. While thanking the ANC and his supporters for standing with him, he acknowledge that it was only the beginning of a long legal fight. “…the battle is, however, just beginning so, let’s get ready for a long political fight. Thanks for your show of support,” he said.
At the same time, the Chairman of the Liberty Party wondered why Mr. Cummings and the ANC – a single unit of the CPP – would be taken to court for the alleged forgery of the Framework document when the CPP is an established institution which should be held responsible for its actions.
But the constituent members of the CPP which came together to join forces for the removal of the Weah-led government have over the past year been at loggerheads with each other and formed blocks within the coalition.
“The All Liberian Party had a convention and decided that we will withdraw from the CPP and then we will prosecute whosever was involved in forging our signature, altering the document that we participated in that is called the Framework Document and bring them to justice,” he said.
Urey said the ALP went in the collaboration in good faith hoping that they will meet the desires of the Liberian people. He, however, maintained that the document was altered: the signature page was forged, the exit clause was removed and the front page of the document was change.
It can be recalled that after an investigation into the alleged tampering of the Framework Document, the investigative committee’s report were submitted to the CPP lawyers who crafted the Framework Document and revised same for review.
In their response the lawyers stated that they made a number of revisions both in substance and structure and the Framework Document as revised was presented at a meeting convened for that purpose and attended by the leadership of the four political parties.
Their revision, according to them, was based on an invitation from the four parties to review the Framework Document as concluded by the four political parties.
The CPP, at the time, according to the lawyers, had stated that the Framework Document reflected the will of the four parties to form a collaboration but wanted to ensure the Framework complied with full legal prescriptions both in terms of substance and structure.
The lawyers, however, stated that they at the time voluntarily agreed to support the process as part of their patriotic commitment to Liberia. “We did so knowing that our contribution will assist in reconciling and engendering an environment for better collaboration and coordination.”
They asserted in a communication addressed to the CPP chairman at the time, Senator Nyonblee Karnga-Lawrence, “We note with concern, however, that the issues raised in your letter of October 12, 2021 and upon which we are requested to opine have become the subject or intense internal and external discussions over the past several weeks. This has rendered the process overwhelmingly political thereby marginalizing the efficacy and effect of the Framework Document. Under these circumstances, we find it extremely difficult to advice on the issues presented to us.
“Notwithstanding, may we remind you that there are risks associated with the unceasing public engagements on this matter. Accordingly, we advise that some form of collective restraint is put in place and that the political leaders urgently exert efforts to bring closure to this matter.”