-Orders Lower Court to Resume Jurisdiction

 By Jacqueline Lucia Dennis

In the alleged Murder case involving the former Chief Justice and three others, the Associate Justice Yarmie Quiqui Gbeisay on Wednesday, July 12, 2023, declined to issue the Writ of Certiorari and mandated Criminal Court ‘A’ Judge Roosevelt Z. Willie to resume jurisdiction and proceed to enforce the ruling on the motion filed by the defense Lawyer.

It can be recalled that the former Chief Justice Gloria Musu Scott, Gertrude Newton, Rebecca Wisner and Alice Johnson were indicted by the special grand jury for Montserrado County for the alleged Crime of Murder, Criminal Conspiracy, and for False Information to Law enforcement officials

State prosecutors on Thursday July 6, filed a Writ of Certiorari against the Circuit Court Judge Roosevelt Willie based on his ruling Tuesday which granted the motion for discovery filed by the legal team of Cllr. Scott, immediately after the defendant lawyers filed a bill of information.

However, the defense team in their five-count Bill of Information said on July 4, 2023, Judge Willie ordered the prosecution to produce the species of evidence it relied upon to indict the defendants in these proceedings.

According to the defense lawyers Judge Willie ordered the prosecution to handover all species of evidence, both material and physical in the case that was use in to indict, the defendants on July 5, 2023 and being the July 6, 2023, has failed and neglected to submit those evidence pursuant to Judge Willies order.

The Bill of Information state furthered that Judge Willie order that upon their failure, refusal, and neglect to hand over those evidence and or instruments relied upon that convinced the fifteen-man grand jury to return the true bill.

According to the bill of information, Judge Willie warned the prosecution that he will take appropriate action.

Moreover, they said that from all indication, it is a glaring fact that the state does not have the evidence or may not have use any evidence that led to the drawing up of the indictment and subsequent writ of arrest.

They requested the Judge to take the appropriate action which in the mind of the defense is to rescind the Judge’s ruling and grant the defense bail.

The prosecution in their Writ of Certiorari said Judge Willie granted the motion for discovery and ordered that the Ministry of Justice provides all species of evidence to the defense team no later than Wednesday, July 5, 2023.

According to the prosecution, the erroneous ruling petitioner says that this irregular and strange conduct of Judge Willie to grant the motion for discovery is flawed and has no legal foundation and must be reversed.