IPNews-Monrovia-Liberia-Saturday January 5 2018: Reports reaching the Independent Probe Newspaper speak of an imminent closure of GN Bank Liberia Limited as the Bank of Ghana downgrades GN Bank to a ‘savings and loans Company. According to a dispatch from Accra, Ghana, where GN Bank operates its headquarters, says the Bank of Ghana has downgraded GN …
IPNews-Monrovia-Liberia-Saturday January 5 2019: President George Manneh Weah has praised the former Executive Director of the Public Procurement and Concessions Commission James Dorbor Jallah for his invaluable contribution to Liberia’s post-conflict development and transformation efforts. The Liberian leader stated that Prof. Jallah is one of the astute Liberian whose remarkable contributions to the country will …
Pres. Hails Outgoing PPCC Boss; Reechoes Straight Adherence To Integrity Read More »
IPNews-Monrovia-Liberia-Saturday 5 January 2019: The Liberia National Police says it has restored calm in Glan & Sialay Towns, lower Nimba County, following town days of violence which led to the death of two persons and several properties destroyed. According to Police spokesman H. Moses Cater, officers of the Liberian National Police, Police Support Unit-PSU swiftly …
Police Restore Calm In Nimba County, following Two Days Violence Read More »
By Alloycious David IPNews-Monrovia-Liberia-Thursday January 3 2018: Green Advocates International and Inclusive Development International (IDI) have developed new advocacy tools that would be used by local communities to hold oil palm growers accountable for environmental and human rights violations committed in Liberia. Green Advocates International is a non-profit, public interest law, environmental and human rights organization working to advance a wide range of issues through legal aid, consultation and support for the victims of environmental and human rights violations. The new advocacy strategies, which were recently developed, will create opportunities for local community members and their civil society counterparts to effectively engage with oil palm concessions in Liberia. They were developed under a project title: “Advising civil society on investment chain in Liberian oil palm sector and company-specific advocacy strategies that could be employed” through funding provided by Rights and Resources Initiative (RRI), a global coalition of 13 partners and more than 150 international, regional, and community organizations advancing forest tenure, policy and market reforms. The development of the tools was necessary because Liberia has awarded over 700,000 hectares of land through concessions to multi- national companies for the cultivation of oil palm, which has been characterized by series of protests from local communities irritated by alleged human rights and environmental violations. The oil palm sector has also not created the anticipated numbers of employments and revenue projected by the Government of Liberi. Prior to the development of the advocacy tools, Green Advocates International has effectively used the Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil (RSPO) to hold oil palm companies like Sime Darby and Golden Veroleum Liberia (GVL) accountable for human and environmental rights violations committed in their operational areas in Western and Southeastern Liberia, respectively. But, the Head of Programs at Green Advocates International, Francis Colee said even the involvement of the oil palm industry in voluntary codes such as the RSPO have not mitigated the risk of human rights and environmental violations occurring in Liberia. He noted that under the RSPO, for example, member companies are required to undertake extensive consultations with communities to ensure that their economic, social and cultural rights are not disturbed by plantations, but companies have failed to abide by RSPO’s principles they subscribed to. Mr. Colee disclosed that following years of work in the oil palm sector, Green Advocates voted to go back and map the entire investment chain in the oil palm sector, thus creating opportunities for community members and their civil society counterparts to effectively engage with oil palm plantations in Liberia. With the advocacy strategies identified, Colee believes “we are now in a better situation to help oil palm affected communities explore different avenues or alternative accountability mechanisms, beyond the RSPO, in seeking redress to community grievances or human and environmental rights violations by oil palm companies in Liberia”. “Our doors are open to oil palm affected communities interested in accessing these different advocacy tools to press for redress to community grievances linked to loss of farmlands, forest resources, water and air pollution, crop compensation, involuntary resettlement, desecration of shrines and scared places, improper Free, Prior and Informed Consent (FPIC) implementation,” Colee assured communities in an interview with reporters in Monrovia. Paul Larry George, Chairman of Alliance for Rural Democracy (ARD), a network of Community Based Organizations (CBOs) in solidarity actions to address the numerous problems confronting and affecting rural poor communities in Liberia corroborated that like other sectors, oil palm concessions are awarded without the free, prior and informed consent of the local communities. George, whose group has membership in all of Liberia’s fifteen (15) political sub-divisions indicated that “like rubber, the oil palm sector has created so many controversies over land rights, desecrated shrines and sacred places, displaced populations, polluted water sources and destroyed the livelihoods of indigenous peoples and local communities.” George played some roles in the development of the tools and hopes that moving forward the oil palm industry can demonstrate that it can truly contribute to economic growth by balancing investment with human rights. The ARD Chairman indicated that government recent pronouncement that the country is open for business again renews Liberia’s reliance on Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) and said “while the Government is exploring ways to create economic activities, there are questions about the integrity of the companies involved, given their role in land grab and human rights violation”. George was however quick to note that many investors in the oil palm industry appear to be making improvements from initial mistakes they made in handling community grievances, but expressed fear over whether local communities will be engaged in acquiring land for oil palm expansion. “This is also an opportunity for the newly elected Government of Liberia to demonstrate its readiness to mitigate the impact of past mistakes in awarding concessions without the free, prior informed consent of the local communities,” George concluded.
IPNews-Monrovia-Liberia-Thursday January 3 2018: Ahead of the official resumption from its annual constituency break, the Liberian Senate on Wednesday, January 2, 2019, paid a courtesy visit with Vice President Chief Dr. Jewel Howard-Taylor, who is the President of the Senate. According to a release from the Vice President office, the meeting with the President of Senate, according to a Press Release from the Office of the Vice President, centered on fostering a more coordinated working relationship among the three branches government. Senate Pro-tempore Albert Chie who spoke on behalf of his colleagues, wished the Vice President a prosperous new year and reaffirmed the Senate’s willingness to cordially work in the interest of the people as the Government sails into its second year. Pro-tempt Chie told the gathering of senators that much will be achieved in this year if coordination, harmony, and love for country serve as the guiding principles for functionaries of the three branches of government. Receiving the senators at her Sophie Community residence, VP Howard-Taylor thanked them for the visit and reassured that she would remain available as a catalytic partner to every sector of government in fostering the President’s Pro-poor Agenda for Prosperity and Development. She expressed the belief that the Legislature, particularly the Liberian Senate which she currently presides over, is crucial to the effective implementation of the national Agenda. The Liberian Vice President opined that, if the President’s Pro-poor Agenda which targets ordinary Liberians is to be achieved, the need for a coordinated working relationship in government, especially among members of the first branch of government cannot be overemphasized. The Liberian Legislature returns later this month on the second working Monday, to resume work in the Second Session of the 54th Legislature.
By: T. Lula Jaurey IPNews-Monrovia-Liberia-Thursday January 3 2018: Government persecutors in ongoing are requesting Judge J. Bioma Kontoe, presiding judge of Criminal Court “C”, for another extension into Sable Mining Bribery Case legal arguments. Prosecution stated that it was unprepared to proceed with further proceedings due to insufficiency of time to produce witness that are important to the ongoing trail. The request for extension now brings to two the number of occasions since the resumption of the Sable Mining case. It may be recall government lawyers prior to the festive season pleaded with Criminal Court “C” judge J. Bioma Kontoe for three weeks to afford all parties the opportunity to have a free, fair and transparent hearing in the matter. The lawyers also requested that the court order its clerk to delete or remove all names of defendants including Andrew Groves and others who during the course of the trial, were severed. The lawyers stated that, the defendants whose trial proceeded at the Honorable Supreme Court of Liberia out of which the mandate calls for trial denovo is in keeping with law. The further argued that the extension would furthermore get witnesses to appear before the court to testify against the accused. Those currently standing trail for economic sabotage, conspiracy,and bribery includes Grand Cape Mount County Senator H. Varney G. Sherman, Former House Speaker J. Alex Tyler, Kool FM CEO Christopher Onanugua, Richard Tolbert, E.C.B. Jones, Eugene Shannon, Morris Saytumah and Willie Belleh. It may be recall the government of Liberia in 2016 indicted the pairs for allegedly receiving bribed from the Sable Mining in the tune of ninety-two thousand to change the concession laws and other laws of Liberia to favor Sable Mining, the claims the accused have since denied. But appearing Monday, Dec. 31, 2018, prosecution counsel could not produce any of the witnesses as requested but indicated that their failure is due to the festive season. Prosecution further informed the court that, “most of the witnesses who appeared in the previous trial when contacted in accordance with trial denovo, insisted that they are unable to attend the proceedings now due to the holiday seasons. Additionally, the Prosecution stated that in its previous motion for continuance to this court, it requested court to have the case transferred to the February A.D. 2019 Term of Court or defer it to next term of court to allow witnesses time to testify as done in previous trial but the court was yet to grant its appeal. Due to the alleged inconsistency of government lawyers the court has since fined government prosecution lawyers three hundred United States dollars to be deposited in the judicial account within three days. Prior to the recess of the case, the court furthermore stated during its last sitting held on Wednesday, December 19, 2018, that “prosecution haven’t made its submission requesting continuance the court notes that in response thereto, Counsel for defendants said that the request of prosecution to deferred the matter to a later date or term of court, the defendants counsel interposed no objection to said application and leaves the matter to the discretion of the court as to the exact period to be granted for continuance of the trial,” “ However, this court ruled, granting prosecution request for continuance with modification that the matter be continued to Friday, December 28, 2018, at 9:AM, and now, after the call of the case in keeping with said notice indicated in the minutes of the court, prosecution has once again made another submission for continuance,” “The continuance requested on December 19, 2018, was for the purpose of allowing the prosecution time to appropriately response to the motion filed by the defendants for subpoena duces tecum and testificadum to be issued and served on a number of persons named in said motions, without addressing the issue as envisaged by this court; that is, to have prosecution response or resistance to said motions, prosecution has once again requested court for continuance, “ This court views the request not only as derogation on the part of prosecution but as an indication of prosecution inability to respond to the motions in question, “The defendants counsel is simply requested to this court for compulsory process to have individuals named in the said motions to appear and or to produce documents, and in the mind of this court, such as request, as enshrined in the motions, should not be a basis for prosecution to baffle and delay the disposition of said motions.” Presiding Judge Kontoe stated. Accordingly,Judge Konte quoting chapter 7,section 10.7 of the Civil Procedure Law, applicable to criminal proceedings, noted that ‘if a party does not appear to oppose a motion or fails to furnish the papers demanded on due notice, the motion shall be granted on proof of due service of the notice and required papers. In the instant case, the prosecution has not raised any issue of notice or motions in question, but has repeatedly requested court for continuance to be able to respond to the motion for subpoenas Ad Testificadum and Duces Tecum filed by the defendant’s counsels’. Judge Kontoe stated further that defense Lawyers resisting the application made by prosecution, said that, while the exercise of the profession is described as practicing law, such law will not permit the Government of Liberia to practice at the expense of liberties of prominent individuals. “Counsels say, said application for continuance is void of all legal bases established in this jurisdiction and is made in bad faith.” Judge Kontoe noted. Proceeding further on his ruling, Judge Kontoe noted that the defendant’s counsels further stated that, the matter to be heard has no relevance to the availability of the witnesses for prosecution, as the trial of the case has not commenced, where the prosecution’s witnesses are to testify. “It will be prudent to pass on the motions and grant same as a matter of right and law, so that the prosecution can employ the instrumentality of the court to produce their witness’s prior to the actual commencement of the trial, even if testimonies are not to commence and may not be able to commence during this term of court, “Therefore, the application made by prosecution is made in bad faith and further intended to delay and baffle this trial, “However, prosecution lawyers further noted that, their request to the court to allow them consolidate the two motions filed by the defendant’s counsels for subpoena duces tecum and ad testificadum so as to traverse said motions is sound and grounded in law as enshrined in Article 21 (h) of the 1986 Constitution of Liberia and Chapter 17, section 17.2 of the Criminal Procedure Law of and because the said consolidated motions are harmless to the Republic of Liberia.” Judge J. Boima Kontoe ruling stated.
IPNew-Monrovia-Liberia-Wednesday 2 January 2019:The Stella Maris Polytechnic University, in collaboration with the Catholic Archdiocese of Monrovia, is expected to erect a monument for the late Catholic icon Archbishop Michael Kpakala Francis. The monument which is expected to be erected at the Archbishop Michael K. Francis Human Rights, Justice and Peace Center, located along the Bomi …
Catholic Church To Erect Monument For Icon Archbishop Michael Francis Read More »
IPNew-Monrovia-Liberia-Wednesday 2 January 2019: Liberia’s Permanent Representative of Liberia to the United Nations (UN), Ambassador Dee-Maxwell Saah Kemayah, has made a passionate plea to the United Nations’ Department of Peacekeeping Operations (DPKO) to address the remaining needs in the Security Sector Reform (SSR) process in Liberia, a dispatch from the mission has said. During a recent meeting …
Amb. Kemayah Makes Liberia Case; Pleads for UN Support Read More »
IPNew-Monrovia-Liberia-Wednesday 2 January 2019: The Liberia Drug Enforcement Agency last Saturday, December 22, 2018 , confiscated and burned huge quantity of marijuana and other narcotic drugs in Yekepa, Nimba County. According to our reporter in Yekepa, quoting LDEA Commander Maj. Arnold D. Kenewon puts the quantity of the confiscated drugs at 120 kilograms of marijuana …
LDEA Confiscates Huge Quantity of Marijuana in Nimba Co. Read More »
