Criminal Court “A’ at the Temple of Justice in Monrovia has affirmed and confirmed the ruling of the Monrovia City Court Judge Ben L. Barco to extradite defendant Othello Bruce, a Liberian, to the United States of America, where he faces multiple charges of Aggravated Statutory Rape of a child believed to be his daughter.
Judge Roosevelt Z. Willie confirmed Magistrate Barco’s ruling on Wednesday, May 21, 2025, because Defendant Bruce is charged with a political offense. “WHEREFORE AND IN VIEW OF THE FOREGOING, FACTS, CIRCUMSTANCES AND LAW CITED, the ruling of the Magistrate Court is hereby affirmed and confirmed. The Magistrate is hereby ordered to proceed in keeping with his ruling as hereby affirmed. IT IS HEREBY SO ORDERED,” Judge Willie ruled.
In addition to his ruling, Judge Willie stated that there is an existing extradition treaty between the United States of America and the Republic of Liberia.
Judge Willie adjudged on one issue- Whether or not the requirements for extradition were met during the proceedings at the Magisterial Court.
Answering the question, the Judge quoted the Criminal Procedure Law, Chapter 8, subsection 8.8, which states that: a magistrate or justice of the peace presiding at an extradition hearing shall discharge the fugitive unless it substantially appears that, as the person arrested is the fugitive charged with having committed the extraditable offense, the issue of Political Offense, for which he will assert that the state did not meet the requirements to extradite him to the United States of America (USA).
The case emanated from an appeal from the Monrovia City Court on May 6, 2025, and was assigned on May 15, 2025. During arguments, Defendant Bruce, through his lawyer Cllr Kumeh, told the court that the Magistrate erred when he ruled that the government met all requirements for which Bruce should be extradited to the United States of America (USA). Further, Cllr. Kumeh stated that assuming without admitting, the government satisfied all requirements appertaining to extradition, there is a practice hoary with age in the jurisdiction that fora person to be held guilty, the testimony of witnesses produced before the court should corroborate, but in the case a bar, state lawyers produced a lone witness who testified to the merit of the case instead of the extradition proceedings, that is to say, whether or not the requirements for extradition as stipulated under the law are in confirmative and extraditable.
Bruce’s lawyer then prayed the court to reverse the Magistrate’s ruling and order the prosecution to release and bail his client, as it is the right of the defendant under the law in the proceedings.
But in resistance, prosecution told the court that Defendant Bruce should be held in contempt for misleading the court, because the state met all the requirements for extradition, as enshrined in the Criminal Procedure Law, Chapter 8, Subsection 8.8 of the Criminal Procedure Law.
The prosecution told Judge Willie that extradition proceedings is a special proceeding and the petitioner may produce one or more raping his 14 year-old daughter while residing in Worcester, Massachusetts.
In January 2013, a grand jury in Worcester County indicted Bruce on 12 counts, including four charges of aggravated statutory rape and four counts of indecent assault and battery.
The alleged abuse occurred between December 2010 and March 2012. Ministry of Justice, in response to the U.S. request, filed an application with the Monrovia City Court seeking Bruce’s extradition under the terms of the 1937 extradition treaty between the two countries. Bruce, 61, was served a writ and appeared in court on Monday, April 14, marking the start of what could become a landmark extradition case.
- The Liberian government argued that the charges met the legal criteria for extradition, as the offenses are recognized under both Liberian and U.S. law and fall within the scope of the bilateral treaty.
The court records reveal that Bruce fled the United States on September 26, 2012, and arrived in Monrovia the following day; even though he was scheduled to return to the U.S. on October 11, 2012, he never boarded his flight and has remained in Liberia since. The U.S. government has submitted a comprehensive package of supporting documents, including the indictments, an arrest warrant, and an INTERPOL Red Notice.
