What seems to appear like Prosecution does not have any piece of evidence in the case against a Guinean charged for mercenary activities has surfaced before Judge Roosevelt Z. Willie a 72hour ultimatum expired.
Judge Willie’s 72 hours which expired on Friday, 28, 2024, places state lawyers in a position of not having any piece of oral or documentary evidence to present before the court, and the judge will now hear a bail of information filed by the defense lawyer Sayma Syrenius Cephus, on today, Monday 30, 2024.
Since the denial of the mercenary motions to bail and suppress evidence, prosecuting attorneys have failed to meet up with Criminal Court “A” Judge’s 72 hours deadline to surrender all military documents including US$150,000 seized from the Guinean Ibrahim Khalil Sherif.
Recently, state securities announced the arrest and subsequent detention for reportedly planning to overthrow the current Guinea Military Junta leader Mamady Doumbuyah through the border between Liberia and Guinea.
According to sheriffs of the court, government lawyers have refused to turn over all evidence along with cash in the tune of US$150,000 as ordered by Judge Willie because the time given has expired.
The Judge’s mandate came as a result of prosecuting attorneys claiming that they arrested Defendant Ibrahim Khalil Sherif with military weapons along with cash for armed insurrection. Judge Willie then 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.
The defendant is charged with multiple crimes ranging from Mercenarism, Armed Insurrection, Criminal Conspiracy, Criminal Solicitation, and Paramilitary Activities. On Tuesday, September 25, 2024, the Judge denied two separate motions filed by a Guinean who was arrested by Liberian authorities for attempting to overthrow the current Guinea President, and ordered the prosecuting attorneys to present all evidence collected from the defendant.
The Judge’s action was based on two separate motions filed by the defense lawyer Cllr. Syrenius Cephus seeking his client’s release from the Monrovia Central Prison (South Beach) on bail. But Judge Willie denied defendant Khalil’s requests to be released and to suppress evidence on allegations of planning to overthrow the current Guinean President through the Liberian border.
He said considering the laws 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 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 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 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.
Based upon this, Judge Willie wondered which evidence the defendant wanted 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.
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.
