IPNews-Monrovia,Liberia-31 May 2018: The Civil Law Court ‘A’ at the Temple of Justice on Tuesday incarcerated Bedell Fahn, Brewerville City mayor-designate, at the Monrovia Central Prison (MCP) for two weeks on a contempt charge.
There were efforts yesterday by some high-profile government personalities for his release. But up to press time, there was no information about Judge Yamie Quiqui Gbeisay accepting their proposal for his release.
Fahn was held in contempt by Judge Gbeisay immediately after the city mayor-designate showed gross disrespect to the order of the court.
Judge Gbeisay’s order stemmed from a case filed by one Tom M. Gurley against the Brewerville City mayor-designate and several other residents in the community, who Gurley had accused of illegally occupying his 57 acres of land.
It was based on Gurley’s complaint that Gbeisay summoned the parties, including the city mayor-designate, to appear before him for a conference.
When the court officers arrived in the community to serve the document on those Gurley had named in his complaint, Fahn claimed that his name did not appear on it and that he was not going to accept it, although his name did appear on the court summon.
The summon was intended for Judge Gbeisay and the parties — Gurley, Fahn and those named by Gurley in his complaint — to find a peaceful way to address Gurley’s request for a re-demarcation of his 57 acres of land, which he believed was illegally occupied by Fahn and the others.
When the court officers were serving the summons on the parties, Fahn reportedly instructed those mentioned to ignore the order, because, according to Fahn, it did not come from the court and was fake. The court officers returned to their base and reported it to Judge Gbeisay. The officers also accused Fahn of inciting the residents against them.
Not being satisfied with his action, Fahn began to insult them and even called them criminals, the court officers said.
When the officers reported the incident to Gbeisay, the judge immediately issued a contempt order, inviting Fahn to appear before the court to answer as to why he should not be held in contempt, a request Fahn again refused to honor, prompting the judge to order for his immediate arrest.
A copy of Fahn’s prison commitment document, signed by Ellen Hall-Kamara, clerk of the court, read: ”You are hereby commanded to receive into your legal custody the living body of defendant Bedell Fahn for safe keeping for disregarding court’s order for offering gross disrespect to this Honorable Court.”
Being very serious about Fahn’s misbehavior to the court’s order, Gbeisay instructed the sheriff that after jailing Fahn, they should immediately furnish him (the judge) with the manner in which they performed the court’s action.
