By: R. Joyclyn Wea
MONROVIA-After carefully reviewing the evidence adduced by both Prosecution and Defense Lawyers, Trial Jurors at Criminal Court “C” have set free the four Indictees in the hundred million cocaine case.
On October 4, 2022, Liberian Authorities acting on U.S. Security Intelligence arrested three foreigners and a Liberian for trying to smuggle $ US 100 Million of cocaine seized in the West African Country, Officials said Tuesday.
Malam Conte, Adulau Djibri, Makki Admeh, and Oliver A Zayzay were indicted by the Grand Jury of Montserrado County for alleged crimes of” unlicensed possession of control drug, money laundering, criminal conspiracy and unlicensed importation of control drugs.
The defendants were set free of all four of the above-mentioned crimes by 11 out of 12 jurors who served as judges of the fact to make a determination into the matter.
The 11 jurors did concord with the Defendants’ Lawyers that the Government of Liberia did not prove its case beyond reasonable doubt as required by law, hence, granted the defense lawyers’ request to set their clients free of all four crimes.
Prior to handling their guilty verdict, the jurors presented to the court, the drugs, cell-phone, memory card, copy of the judge’s charge, defense evidence file, prosecution evidence file, and the case file containing testimonies and other documents relative to the case and four envelopes containing their verdict.
This being a criminal matter, government forfeits the right to file an appeal before the Honorable Supreme Court of Liberia.
With this not guilty, it means that government will have to return the two thousand United States Dollars and other materials that were confiscated from the defendants. This also gives them the opportunity to return to their home country.
Initially, Judge Blamo Dixson announced that the two hundred thousand United States Dollars in question was given to the Central Bank of Liberia to save until the matter is adjudicated.
At the same time, the defendants have been released to their lawyers and were jubilating with their family members, while others were angry that the Government of Liberia had missed out on an important matter and also expressed disappointment in the Liberian Justice System.
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