The Supreme Court of Liberia’s Judiciary Inquiry Commission (JIC) Chair by Associate Justice Yussif D. Kaba is reportedly remaining “firm on its findings and recommendations.”
This following investigation conducted about the alleged “unethical conduct” of the then Commercial Judge Eva Mappy-Morgan.
But because of the delayed in handing down the investigation outcome after months of hearings concerns have been mount by the public.
However, there are reports that citation expected to be served on complainant, Amos Brosius, and the accused, Judge Mappy-Morgan any moment before Supreme Court’s break in March.
The JIC investigates “unethical conduct” of assigned judges from formal complaint filed against anyone of them by the public through the office of the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court.
Thereafter, he or she would forwards the compliant to the Commission which has rotational chairmanship for thorough investigation, findings and recommendation for possible action.
With this, Justice Kaba’s Commission in this matter is made-up of Stella Maris Polytechnic University’s President Mary Laurie Browne, Retired Judge George E. Henries, and Debt Court Judge James Jones.
Others are Circuit Court Judge Josephus N. Kortoe, Magistrate Nelson Chinneh, and Jura Lynch, Member of the Liberian National Bar Association.
Court insiders told this paper that associates of the Monrovia Oil Trading Company or MOTC and others including the Monrovia Lioness Club allegedly want the Commission’s water down its recommendations before getting on the desk of Chief Justice Francis Saye Korkpor.
This is intended to avoid or save Judge Eva Mappy-Morgan been heavily reprimanded by getting lengthy suspension or disbarment from lawyering for years in the country.
Because as it stand the Judge seems to have violated some sections of the Supreme Court’s Judicial Canons. For instance, Canon Ten which talk about the Essential Conduct of a Judge, Canon Twenty-Three speaks about Ex Parte Application and Canon Twenty-Four is on Ex Arte Communications.
Others are Canon Twenty-Five deal with the Influence of Decision Upon the Development of the Law, Thirty-Five is on Abuse of Discretion, while Thirty-Nine is the Penalty, and Forty talk on the Judicial Inquiry Commission.
Last August base on an assignment prayed for by the Judge Mappy-Morgan, Chief Justice Korkpor instructed Associate Justice and Chairperson of the Judiciary Inquiry Commission, Justice Kaba, to investigate Judge Mappy-Morgan for alleged “unethical conduct.”
During the investigation presided over by Associate Justice Kaba Judge Mappy-Morgan reportedly admitted that she personally order the unfreezing of Ducor Petroleum accounts housed at Liberian Bank for Development and Investment or LBDI.
This reportedly facilitated the depletion of said account of US$3.4 million by the Monrovia Oil Trading Corporation or MOTC earlier ordered freeze by Judge Mappy-Morgan.
Judge Mappy-Morgan only defense during the hearing was Amos Brosius knew she ordered the account opened to MOTC in keeping to Counselor T. Negbalee Warner’s letter dated July 22, 2013.
Warner at the time wrote the ex-parte communication dated July 22, 2013 requesting the Judge to unconditionally open the frozen on the Ducor account to MOTC.
Because of that JIC then invited all of the defendant (Amos Brosius’s) lawyers including Counselors Tiawan Gongloe, Momolu G. Kandakai, Necular Y. Edwards, Viama Blama, Nyentee Tuan to confirm or deny.
All of the lawyers who appeared before the JIC denied ever having prior knowledge to Judge Mappy-Morgan’s claimed that result to the completion of Ducor Petroleum account at LBDI except Counselor Nyanti Tuan.
With that Judge Mappy-Morgan could not prove that she cited these lawyers because she could not provide the notice of assignment instead she informed the Commission that she informed those lawyers via mobile phone which is contrary to the way lawyers appear for cases.
With the alleged damaging findings against Judge Mappy-Morgan former President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, her son James Sirleaf, and others including the Monrovia Lioness Club are allegedly going beyond their best efforts to have the Judge Mappy-Morgan exonerated by the Commission.
It can be recalled when Counselor T. Negbalee Warner, Dean of the Louis Arthur Grimes School of Law of the University of Liberia appeared before the hearing last August, he failed to established how MOTC became a ninety percent owner or shareholder of Ducor Petroleum Incorporated.
With that, records proffered by Amos Brosius did not show any contribution from by MOTC as shareholder. MOTC has not exhibit any documentary evidence that it made any capital investment in Ducor Petroleum up to and included the time of this publication
Since 2013, Brosius has hired several Lawyers to defend his legal interest. Initially, he was represented by the Counselor Frank Musa Dean now Justice Minister Republic.
He was followed by Counselor Nyanti Tuan, Counselor Tiawan S. Gongloe, Counselor Momolu G. Kandakai, Counselor Philip Y. Gongloe, Counselor Necular Edwards and then now Circuit Court Judge Sceapolor R. Dunbar.
Others were Counselor Viama Blama, Counselor Wellington Bedell, current Solicitor General Sayma Cyrenius Cephus and Counselor Albert S. Sims, who was later ordered by his boss Counselor Moses Paegar formerly of the Sherman and Sherman Law Firm to withdraw his representation from Brosius.
However, Counselor Alexander Zoe who was subsequently retained by Brosius was allegedly advised by the Judge not to participate in the case as a lawyer for Amos Brosius.
The Judge allegedly made the comment to Counselor Zoe in the Bassa vernacular or dialect with the mistaken belief that their client could not understand the Bassa vernacular.
At the moment, only the Gongloe and Associates Incorporated continued to represent the legal interest of Brosius in spite of numerous treats and harassment from the Judge.
It can be recalled that in September of 2019, the Judge arrested all of the lawyers of Gongloe and Associates Incorporated on grounds that Brosius granted an interview on the Henry Costa Show.
Comments are closed.