The Resident Judge of Criminal Court “A” at the Temple of Justice in Monrovia has denied two separate motions filed by a Guinean who was arrested by Liberian Authorities for attempting to overthrow the current Guinea President. Judge Roosevelt Z. Willie on Tuesday, September 25, 2024, denied Ibrahim Khalil and ordered the prosecuting attorneys to present all evidence collected from the defendant.
The Judge’s action comes based on two separate motions filed by the defense lawyer Cllr. Syrenius Cephus who is seeking his client’s release from the Monrovia Central Prison (South Beach) on bail. He denied defendant Khalil’s requests to be released and to suppress evidence on allegations of planning to overthrow the current Guinean President Mamady Doumbuyah through the Liberian border.
“Therefore and considering the laws just stated, the National and Regional Security involved in the case and the safety of the defendant, the court hereby denies the motion to grant bail to the defendant,” the ruling stated. The Judge in his ruling prevented prosecuting lawyers from extraditing the defendant back to Guinea or any other country without the legal determination in Liberia.
Judge Willie’s ruling further mandated state lawyers to surrender to the court within 72 hours all evidence to include AK-47, LAR rifle, PKM, RPG and mortar weapons and cash in both United States Dollars and several currencies solicited by defendant Khalil from former Guinean President Alpha Condeh.
Judge Will said the defendant argued that his continuous detention at the prison facility by prosecution is based on imaginary fairytale because, state lawyers did not obtain any evidence both material or documentary from him, for which he was charged with obtaining weapons and finances to overthrow the Government of Guinea; as such, the charges levied against him are all lies and only intended to put his life at risk.
Notwithstanding, the defendant alleged that state lawyers have no evidence to include material or documentary, he then prayed the court to suppress evidence and order prosecution to return his property.
With this, Judge Willie wonders which evidence does the defendant want the court to suppress and order the prosecuting attorneys return his property, when he said state lawyers did not obtain evidence both material and documentary from him.
But resisting the consolidated motions, state lawyers said that proof is evident and presumption great based upon the evidence that is in their possession and therefore called on the Judge not to grant the defendant bail.
The prosecution cited chapter 11. 13 of penal Law of Liberia which defines Mercenarism as a felony of the first degree that does not provide for bail. The defendant is charged with multiple crimes ranging Mercenarism, Armed Insurrection, Criminal Conspiracy, Criminal Solicitation, and Paramilitary Activities.
