IPNews-Monrovia,Liberia-28 August 2018: At long last, the Supreme Court of Liberia has proven right claims by petitioners mainly Cllr. Varney Sherman , now Senator, Grand Cape Mount County, that e-mails and spreadsheets were illegally acquired by than Special Presidential Taskforce headed Cllr. Fonati Koffa.
It may be recalled Cllr. Vrney Sherman and other indicted during the Global Witness (GW) alleged US$950,000 bribery report, legal disagreement ensued to the validity of the e-mails and spreadsheets acquired by the Special Presidential Taskforce prosecuting several former and present government officials with defense lawyers claiming that the documents were illegally acquired through means of hacking.
In its opinion on Wednesday, August 22,2018, the honorable Supreme Court, through its Chief Justice Francis Saye Korkpor, declared that the defendants allegation that their emails, spreadsheets and other documentary presented by prosecution hacked, they had the burden to prove otherwise.
“It was therefore, an error by the trial judge to have required the state to prove that the documents were not hacked.”
His Honor Chief Justice Korkpor stated that, the law does not provide “temporary making” of the documentary evidences as was done by Judge Gbeisay, making clear that ‘after the prosecution’s witness testified to the documents and were subsequently marked and confirmed by the Court, same should be submitted to the jury or received by the judge sitting as a bench trial to determine its authenticity and materialize its being’.
In testimonial to the ruling, Justice Korkpor instructed his Clerk to mandate the judge now presiding over Criminal Court ‘C’ to resume jurisdiction over the case and placed permanent marks on those documents objected to, to ensure a determination after authenticating and materializing all of the documents presented by prosecution.
Justice Korkpor reversed ruling follows nearly a year when Criminal Court ‘C’ presiding Judge Yamie Quiqui Gbeisay’s accepted a petition by the defense team of those accused in the Global Mining corruption Case.
It may be recalled the Global Witness report had earlier alleged that the defendants received over US$950,000 in bribes through Sable’s Liberian lawyer, Cllr. Varney Sherman, to alter the Public Procurement Concession Commission (PPCC) law that would have enabled the officials named to be award the virgin Wologizi Mountain in north-western Liberia county of Lofa, without any competitive bidding process.
Those incudede in the indictment includes Sen./Cllr. Varney G. Sherman, lead lawyer of Sable Mining; former House Speaker Alex Tyler, Chris Onanuga, Owner of Kool FM, former National Investment Commissioner, Richard Tolbert, Sen. Morris Saytumah, Bomi County, Willie Belleh, former PPCC chair, Eugene Shannon, former minister of Lands, Mines and Energy (MLME) and former LMLE deputy minister, E.C.B. Jones.
Meanwhile, former chairman of the Presidential taskforce on the Sable Mining corruption case, now Hon. Cllr. Fonati Koffa stated ‘thank God, the judgment by the highest curt has vindicated our works and we are pride we served with distinction’.
“We feel vindicated that prosecution was just right. We are relieved because the High Court has spoken and has agreed with us that we were on the right path.” Hon. Koffa Said.
