Magistrate Ben L. Barco of the Monrovia City Court has sent to jail two judicial employees for Misapplication of Entrusted Property, Theft of Property and Criminal Conspiracy involving party litigants. The two employees are Court Sheriff, Pobleh P, Wea and Clerk of Court, Nah J. Wollor.
The criminal acts were said to have occurred from July 1, 2021 to January 8, 2024 at the Civil Law Court.
As a result of their actions, LNP on Thursday, May 16, 2024 arrested defendants Wea and Wollor. They were investigated and subsequently charged. They have forwarded to the Monrovia City Court for trial.
The defendants were later escorted to the Monrovia Central Prison by court officers after they failed to secure a valid criminal appearance bond that could guarantee their release while the trial is ongoing.
According to complainant Judge Ousman F. Feika who is the assigned Circuit Judge at the Civil Law Court Annex B, a summary proceedings to recover possession of real property and ordered defendant Wea to receive US$9,600 as per his job description to receive cash/money for judgement, commit defendant at the prison and maintain court order.
Judge Feika instructed defendant Wea to deposit the said amount in escrow account. Based upon that, Defendant Wea along with Nah J. Wollor were signatories to the account.
The Judge said when he concluded the case and ordered the court’s sheriff Wea to pay to the successful party the full amount mentioned above, he (defendant Wea) pretended that getting the amount from the bank account was difficult.
Interestingly, he went into hiding for a month.
When he returned to the Judge’s office and was asked whether he brought the full amount, Wea could not give account of the money.
Immediately, Judge Feika conducted an investigation and established that Defendants Wea (Sheriff) and Wollor (Clerk of Court) conspired and withdrew all of the monies in the escrow account of the court.
Defendant Wea admitted receiving the funds and pointed that the money was withdrawn with the approval of defendant Wollor, which divided on several occasions.
Police investigation established that Defendant Wollor on several occasions received funds from party litigant as indemnification of parties when judgement is rendered and said amount placed into the escrow account. After depositing in the account, deposit slips, withdrawal slips and checks can be issued to the court through the sheriff and the clerk of court.
In this proceedings, the bank statements from the escrow account of both United States Dollars (5303055010299) and Liberian Dollars (530550010305) from the United Bank of Africa (UBA) showed the amount of US$228,360.67 (two hundred twenty-eight thousand, three hundred sixty- seven cents) and LRD$20,981.73 ( twenty thousand nine hundred eight- one dollars seventy three cents)
It was revealed that both judicial employees with criminal intent withdrew all of the United States components of the deposited amounts and used it instead of giving the money to party litigant.
