By: Jacqueline Lucia Dennis

IPNEWS-Monrovia: The assigned Judge Ousman F. Felka of the Sixth Judicial Circuit Civil Law Court ‘B’ for Montserrado County, on Wednesday January 18, 2023 issued a Writ of Arrest on the Inspector General of the Liberia National (LNP) Police, Patrick T. Sudue for Contempt of Court.

The Writ of Arrest issued Wednesday said “You are hereby commanded  to arrest the living body of Patrick T. Sudue and have him brought before the sixth Judicial Circuit Civil Law Court ‘B’ for Montserrado County, Republic of Liberia sitting in its December  term, A.D. 2022. If arrested after working hours he should be kept in any  police custody until the next working hours to be brought forthwith before this honorable court immediate upon his arrest to show cause if any, why he should not be held in contempt of court for his failure to comply with the court’ of order.”

The Writ of Arrest also indicated that “You are further commanded to arrest the above named defendant (s) and have him brought forthwith before the honorable court and file in this court your returns to this Writ of Arrest as to the manner and form of its service and file same in my office immediately upon executing this Court’s order of arrest.”

The assigned Judge Ousman F. Felka of the Sixth Judicial Circuit Civil Law Court ‘B’ for Montserrado County

Inspector General Patrick Sudue’s Writ of Arrest was based on grounds, of an ongoing Land dispute case involving the Modern Development and Management Corporation (MDMC) representing through its CEO and Managing Director, John S. Youboty of Johnsonville Mount Barclay and Kamara, Netty Nyanneh and others to be identified all of the Township of Johnsonville.

During the day hearing at the Civil Law Court at the Temple of Justice in Monrovia, one of the Counsels for the Plaintiff brought to the attention of court, that the plaintiff prayed for “and this court ordered issued and return served subpoena Duce Tecum of the Liberia National Police to produce the original copy of the letter dated April 29, 2019 from the plaintiff to the LNP intervention to stop the defendants from encroaching and conducting activities on the parcel of land in dispute.”

According to the court record, the Counsel for the Plaintiff says that the Sheriff returns show that the said Subpoena Duce Tecum was served and returns acquired, but the LNP declined to comply with the order of the court. Even after the physical appearance of the legal counsel of LNP who promised to have appeared on Monday, January 16, 2023.

The plaintiff counsel, therefore request the court to order the reissuance of the said subpoena ordering the Inspector General of the LNP to produce the original copy of the April 29, 2019 communication of today, Thursday, January 19, 2023 at 9:00 am “and all at a date and time convenient to this court and the failure thereof to comply with the order the Inspector General shall be held in contempt.”

However, after the request of the Plaintiff the Judge said “the request by the Plaintiff’s Counsel for the reissuance of Subpoena Duce Tecum on the defendants herein and as well as the Inspector General of Police, Sudue, Pursuant to the order of the Court on a date of 11 January 2023, to which order only three of the subpoena were served according to the return of the Sheriff.”

“This Court says as to the subpoenaed individuals who were not served the Clerk of this Court is ordered to reissue a subpoena Duce Tecum on each of them to have them appeared before this Court on Friday January 20, 2023 at the hour of 10:00 am, failing this, this court will be left with no alternative but to hold them in contempt of court, but as to the individual  who were served with the subpoena as per the order of this court that is to include, defendants Otis Kan, Musa Kamara and Inspector General Sudue and the Clerk of the Court is ordered to prepare a Writ of Arrest placed same in the hand of the Sheriff in this Court to have the defendants Musa Kamara and Otis Kan and as well Police Inspector General Sudue  arrested and  brought to this court,  Friday  January 20 2023.”