IPNEWS: The office of War and Economic Crimes Court continues to receive increasing endorsement from the public, including civil society organizations—the Female Lawyers of Liberia, Human Right Groups, Student movements, and the Massacre Survivals Network of Liberia.
The latest endorsement now comes from the Liberia Council of Churches (LCC).
The LCC in its country situation report, congratulated President Joseph Nyuma Boakai for taking the bold step to establish a once “dark horse” that has been permeating Liberia’s social and human life.
The LCC stated that it welcomes this bold step on the part of the President and would provide the needed support to ensuring that the court is formally established, stressing that this issue has been lingering in our body politics where government after government have played politics with the people, but Liberia will not witness the birth of a new day in our human life as Liberians.
The Council of Churches believes the creation of these courts would provide both the victims and perpetrators the opportunity to prove their case and exonerate themselves.
“We called on the International Community to join efforts with the Government of Liberia to ensuring the formation of these powerful instruments that will serve as a deterrent to those who believe that violence is the only pathway to solving their grievances. “ The LCC highlighted.
In the public space, Liberians from all walks of life have hailed the appointment of Cllr. Johnathan Massaquoi to head the office of war and Economic crimes but warned that it would be the biggest mistake to involve conflicted individuals especially those that have compromised records of coaching.
“We all want the War and Economic Crime Court for Liberia but want the process to be free and fair of conflicted individuals and organizations for monetary gains at the expense of ordinary people. We’ve been following court actions against several individuals by organizations such as Civitas Maxima Director, Alain Werner in Geneva, and the Global Justice Research Project, Director, Hassan Bility in Liberia.
“There are courts records including law enforcement documents cases involving Agnes Reeves Taylors in Britain and in the United Nations Special Court for Sierra Leone protected witness Gibril Massaquoi upon whom Mr. Hassan Bility and Alain Werner recruited several persons and coached them in reward for payment to serve as witnesses to make false statement to war crimes investigators including court trial. I’m calling on the Tom Lantos, Human Rights Commission that these two individuals including their organization can’t come anywhere near the Liberian war and economic crime court,” a massacre victim told the authoritative Independent Probe newspaper.
War and economic crimes investigators have added theirs voices to protected witness Darious Tweh calling on the United States, European Union and other western organizations and governments, to investigate the Global Justice Research Project Liberia, Civitas Maxima, Switzerland and Center for Accountability California involvement in fraudulent behavior of accusing people of alleged war actors at the same time recruiting coaching paying witnesses for the war crimes prosecution into making false statements against the Defendant.
Washington DC , team of investigators had long hours of discussion with two witnesses that Alain Werner Civitas Maxima Switzerland, Center for Justice and Accountability California USA and former Ulimo-k Operative / Alcop Youth Wing Co Chairman Hassan Bility Director of Global Justice Research Project Liberia recruited from Liberia to make false statement against Michel Desadeleer, including other cases involving alleged Liberian War Actors.
In 2015 the Belgium National Police, based on information provided by Civitas Maxima accused Desadeleer of enslavement using victims to mine diamonds used to procure weapons for the RUF. All based on witnesses produced by Civitas Maxima, specifically Alain Werner and Hassan Bility. Conflicting testimonies started to emerge once witnesses other than those produced by Civitas Maxima provided conflicting testimony about the legal relationship between the RUF and Desadeleer. Civitas Maxima allegedly portrayed Desadeleer as the architect and mastermind of the illegal diamond mining using forced and enslaved labor that had existed throughout the civil war. Trying to get a notch in their belt they tried to make Desadeleer the “White Face” of the conflict and convince the Belgium government that he was a “war criminal”, based on reportedly false information and false statements provided by coached witnesses reportedly produced by Werner and Bility.
Unfortunately, the Belgium government relied on these false assertions and issued an arrest warrant for Desadeleer and submitted it to Interpol which caused a red notice to be issued. That led to the arrest of Desadeleer while entering Spain in 2015 and was later extradited to Belgium where he was detained and despite his public pleading of innocence coupled with conflicting testimony of actual witnesses who knew of his legal relationship with the RUF, he committed suicide as a result of despair and humiliation while in custody in 2016.
His death is being viewed as a form of manslaughter, where someone takes the life of another as a result of reckless behavior. Clearly, the use of reportedly false and conflicting information to seek an unlawful arrest and prosecution of person led to the suicide of Desadeleer, arguably the result of the alleged reckless actions of Civitas Maxima.
Unfortunately, this has been the modus operandi recently uncovered during the trial of Gibrill Massaquoi including other cases wherein coached witnesses were produced by Civitas Maxima to provide false testimony of war crimes and crimes against humanity seeking a wrongful conviction for personal and financial gain. Civitas Maxima has received millions of Euros and US Dollars since its inception in 2012 from various donors, including the United Nations Voluntary Funds for Victims of Torture in support of this criminal enterprise.
