—As Leaked SMS Causes Emotional Outburst

IPNEWS: On Tuesday, January 5, 2022 when the opposition Alternative National Congress (ANC) political leader Alexander Benedict Cummings (ABC) was granted a criminal bond bail by the Monrovia City Court for alleged forgery and criminal conspiracy having been sued by another opposition All Liberian Party (ALP) political leader Mr. Benoni Urey, the ANC political leader told his supporters to brace for a ‘long political battle’ in the wake of the legal suit.

Cummings, upon being granted bail by the court on Tuesday, said he sees the ALP’s action as an opportunity to lay the allegation of the tampering of the CPP Framework Document to rest. He said it is his intention to see the entire saga settled. While thanking the ANC and his supporters for standing with him, he acknowledged that it was only the beginning of a long legal fight. “…the battle is, however, just beginning so, let’s get ready for a long political fight. Thanks for your show of support,” he said.

The ANC political leader also hailed the judicial system so far for doing the right thing and hopes that it will continue to do so in the future so that the rights of ordinary people are respected.

Political pundits wonder why is it that the ALP which has decided to leave the CPP has chosen to put a wedge within the Collaboration when it is already leaving by taking legal suit against one of its members. “This only shows sinister motives and a plan to disrupt the CPP and ANC from being a political force to battle the CDC in 2023. Taking Cummings to Court might put a dent on him if he is found guilty of a crime did not commit and may not be qualified to contest the 2023 elections,” one pundit says.

“The All Liberian Party had a convention and decided that we will withdraw from the CPP and then we will prosecute whosoever was involved in forging our signature, altering the document that we participated in that is called the Framework Document and bring them to justice,” Benoni Urey said recently.

Urey said the ALP went in the collaboration in good faith hoping that they will meet the desires of the Liberian people. He, however, maintained that the document was altered: the signature page was forged, the exit clause was removed and the front page of the document was change.

The Spoon Talk panelists also wondered why is Mr. Benoni Urey behaving as a frontline soldier for the CPP which his ANC party has already announced is leading? “Whose battle is Mr. Urey fighting within the CPP that his party has left,” the panelists asked.

Now a leaked message exchange between former Maritime Consultant Riva Levinson, and Liberia’s Ambassador, George Pattern, has surfaced on social media, especially the chartroom of the Council of Patriots linking several persons into a ‘trump up’ ongoing trail of forgery and criminal conspiracy case against ANC Alexander B. Cummings and other alleged co-conspirators.

The presence of the leaked message exchange in the chartroom of the Council of Patriot subsequently led to the immediately resignation of the group’s former Secretary General and spokesman Mulbah K. Yorgbor, Jr. from the Council of Patriots in protest that the All Liberian Party-ALP, of one-time businessman turned politician Benoni Urey could be conspiring with officials of the George Weah government to sponsor prosecution against a member of the Opposition community.

Yorgbor stated that he is sickened that new discoveries have shown that popular talk show host Henry Costa, as chairman of CoP is working clandestinely for the Weah’s government.

“I’m Resigning from the CoP!”

“When I joined the CoP, I prepared myself to fight for the Liberian people. I put my business and family on the line because I believed then that the cause was genuine and that true advocacy would be the hallmark of our engagement. I spent my personal resources many times without regret because I was sold to this idea. “

“When I joined the ANC, folks in the leadership got uncomfortable with my new political home and orchestrated my removal under a ‘conflict of interest’ guise. I made no noise about it. I am however sickened by new discoveries that Henry Costa, Chairman of the CoP is truly working with the government. In fact, Nat McGill shares information against the opposition community with him. He admits (proudly) to working with the government against the opposition. He brags about it. Henry’s duplicitous nature is not only hurting the CoP but the entire opposition community. He has a blessing that he’s sadly abusing and using for personal gains. I can’t, in good conscience and sound mind continue to associate with a group whose head is working against the people that it is supposed to speak for. I think I’ve reached that point to call it a day.”

“I hereby disassociate with the CoP with immediate effect. Thank you all for the support when I served as SG. “ Mulbah K. Yorgbor Jr. wrote on his social media page late Saturday, January 8, 2022.

Prior to this revelation, on Monday, January 3, ANC political leader had accused the George Weah-led government of conniving with the political leader of the All Liberian Party (ALP), which is also a member of the opposition Collaborating Political Parties (CPP), to further enhance the disunity brewing among the opposition political parties.

However, Information Minister Ledgerhood Rennie debunked the allegation against the government and noted that, “The Liberian Government is focused on continuing its efforts at delivering on the national development agenda and has interest in the petit and divisive internal political arrangements of the CPP.”

Following Mr. Yorgbor’s post on social media, Henry Costa in his usual loose-talking and unprofessional style, reiterated the hidden motives of Alexander B. Cummings in being president at all cost.

Costa without proof stated that Mr. Cummings has contracted a lobbyist firm in the United states to blacklist and sanction several senior government officials.

It may be recalled the government of Liberia, after series of trips to the United States seeking ways to cement relations with Washington, accused the Officials of the Collabo0rating Political Parties (CPP), particularly ANC political Leader Alexander B. Cummings, about making huge payments to lobby groups to sanction the government of Liberia.

Costa further that since the commencement of the trail proceedings against Mr. Cummings, he had embarked on a face-saving project to send lobbyist to bagged Mr. Urey to drop the ongoing case of forgery and criminal conspiracy.

But Mr. Cummings Communication specialist Mulbah K. Yorgbor Jr. swiftly refuted Henry Costa’s accusation.

Mr. Yorgbor stated that Alexander B. Cummings at no point sent anyone to beg Urey to drop any case.

“As a matter of fact, we want to see this case to the very end. He’s no punk to chicken out. Let the others agree to be pawns.”

Not letting the grave allegation against the government of Liberia of being the mastermind of the forgery and criminal conspiracy case against Mr. Cummings, Liberia’s Solicitor General, Seyma Syrennius Cephas stated that the recent purported text message allegedly written by a certain Riva  Levinson is ‘quite stunning and it makes quite a pathetic reading’.

Cephas stated that the purported SmS exchange is a ‘pale reflection of the purported author’s brazen lack of understanding of the Solicitor General’s role in the prosecution of criminal cases in the Liberian jurisprudence’.

“The text is patently grotesque in character and content and seems to have been crafted on the foundation of fear and misinformation being spread about a legitimate forgery and criminal conspiracy case against Mr. Alexander B. Cummings and his co-conspirators.”

“To attempt to target people, specifically  the Solicitor General in a matter that was initiated based on the Liberian Criminal Procedure Code which grants citizens the unfettered  constitutional rights to complain before a court of law about the alleged violations  of their  basic rights  as in the case of the opposition ALL LIBERIAN PARTY(ALP) and for which a formal criminal arrest warrant may be issued, clearly shows the author does not understand the Liberian judicial system. The purported author of the text message should understand that at the moment Cummings and his collaborators are, under the principle of presumption of innocence, still presumed innocent until the contrary is established beyond all reasonable doubts. Being that the burden of proof rests on the state, it’s but fair to all and sundry to be circumspect rather than being judgmental and inflammatory in their attacks against their perceived enemies, not least the Honorable Solicitor General and Chief Prosecutor of this sovereign Republic.”

“The text lacking proper context in addressing the statutory and constitutional involvement of the Solicitor General for and behalf of the Republic of Liberia and failing to foresee the possible civil unrest, chaos and a state of pandemonium that the alleged forgery and criminal conspiracy may have generated, if the court had not taken seize of the matter, by issuing the appropriate criminal writ, is nothing but the author’s  own figment of imagination of how  he  wants  a matter of such grave nature to be treated lightly irrespective of the quantum of available evidence. The Solicitor General has not and shall not, now and going forward, conjecture the slightest impression to cow either based on this text or in any other matter where the Republic of Liberia is a party no matter who is involved. The author should ask all those who subscribe to the rule of law to appreciate and respect the court process. “Liberia’s Solicitor Seyma Syrennius Cephas responded to the purported sms exchange between Riva  Levinson, and Liberia’s Ambassador, George Pattern

It may recalled, minutes after the declaration by Mr. Cummings, eleven party officials jointly announced the termination of their membership with the opposition All Liberian Party (ALP) of businessman-turned-politician Benoni Urey.

The defected ALP Partisans stated that they are opposed to the disintegration of the Collaborating Political Parties (CPP) which ALP recently said is breaking away from.

Those who signed it include National Vice Chairman for Mobilization and Recruitment, Momo A. Sambola; Janjay P. Zodagar, River Cess County; D. Ellis Koffa, Sinoe County; Miatta Fahnbulleh, Grand Cape Mount County; Mohammed O. Sheriff, Lofa County; Margaret Cooper, Vice-Chair, Grand Bassa; Alfred B.S. Jerbo, Margibi County; Augustine T. Toe, Grand Kru County.