The 11th Judicial Circuit Court for Bomi County has re-arrested a Ghanaian national, Abdul Razak Kawarnu, after Chief Justice Yamie Quiqui Gbeisay ordered enforcement of a US$135,000 judgment originally rendered in 2022. The move follows a Judicial Inquiry Commission finding that Resident Judge T. Ciapha Carey acted negligently when he released Kawarnu in 2023 despite the outstanding restitution order.
Kawarnu was convicted on October 12, 2022, by then-Judge Peter Gbeneweneh for scrapping a D-8 earth-moving machine valued at US$280,000 and belonging to Hans Armstrong, a British national and owner of Horizon Company in Monrovia. The court reduced the assessed value of the property to US$135,000.
Due to Kawarnu’s reported poor health, Judge Gbeneweneh suspended the prison sentence but conditioned his release on immediate payment of 25% of the judgment-US$33,750. When Kawarnu failed to pay, Judge Carey had him arrested and jailed at the Tubmanburg Central Prison on March 7, 2023.
While Kawarnu was in detention, Judge Carey and then-Bomi County Attorney Jumah Karnley accepted US$500 from Kawarnu’s relatives, James G. Foday and Paulina Karpeh, who stood as sureties. Based on a promissory note signed by the sureties, Judge Carey released Kawarnu and rescheduled the 25% payment deadline to October 2023. British national Hans Armstrong, the judgment creditor, filed a complaint against Judge Carey with the Judicial Inquiry Commission, alleging ethical misconduct over the US$500 release.
In a March 12, 2026, Supreme Court order to Judge Zuballah A. Kizeku, Chief Justice Gbeisay affirmed the JIC’s ruling and commanded the court to enforce Judge Gbeneweneh’s judgment. The order directs the sureties to produce Kawarnu and “ensure that the defendant makes restitution in the amount of the judgment, in accordance with law”.
The JIC found Judge Carey negligent for the 2023 release. Following the Chief Justice’s directive, Kawarnu has now been re-arrested by the 11th Judicial Circuit Court in Bomi County.
The case comes as Chief Justice Gbeisay has pledged stricter oversight of the judiciary. He recently warned judges and magistrates that corruption and ethical misconduct would lead to dismissal, and has established a Judicial Monitoring, Evaluation, and Accountability Department to oversee performance and accountability.
Armstrong’s original complaint also named former County Attorney Karnley, who wrote to the court in May 2023 detailing Kawarnu’s illness and requesting sureties for his release. The Supreme Court has now dismissed Kawarnu’s appeal and ordered the lower court to resume jurisdiction to effect its judgment.
