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Liberia: For lack of evidence, Julu, Dorbor set free by Criminal Court A
May 3, 2008
Michael Kpayili
Two former senior officials of the defunct Armed Forces of Liberia facing treason trail at Criminal Court –A- at the Temple of Justice have been set free after Judge Peter Gbonee Wleh announced the final verdict yesterday.
Retired General Charles Julu and retired Colonel Andrew Dorbor were charged for plotting to overthrow the Unity Party led Government headed by President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf. According to Criminal Court –A-Judge Peter Gbonee Wleh, the State failed miserably to establish evidence in support of their claim. He said although the prosecution (State) provided seven witnesses, none was able to produce reasonable evidence that he termed “material” to the trail.
Judge Wleh made special emphasis on document that the State claimed to be a voluntary statement made by retired Colonel Andrew Dorbor. “It would have been legally prudent if the NSA had asked Mr. Dorbor to make these statements in the presence of his legal counsel”. Judge Wleh maintained.
Judge Wleh also said the distribution of Fifty United States Dollars as claimed by the prosecution in a local hotel in Ganta in the absence of a meeting does not constitute substantial evidence against the defendants. “The constitution gives the right to peacefully assembled”. The ruling which started at 1:30 pm at the Criminal Court A lasted for over five hours with Judge Peter Gbonee Wleh giving detail breakdown on various testimonies held and the application of legal interpretation thereof. After hours of deliberation at the Temple of Justice, Judge Wleh came down with a non-guilty verdict in favor of the two defendants.
Retired General Charles Julu and retired Colonel Andrew Dorbor rights were therefore restored upon the orders of Criminal Court –A- Judge Peter Gbonee Wleh. The treason trail of two former AFL officials was concluded with a guilty verdict in the first trail sent forth by the sitting jury at the Criminal Court-A- during which time the sitting Judge Charles Williams and the head of the defense counsel Dempster Brown condemned the decision reached by the grand jury. According to defense lawyer Dempster Brown, the jurors were given significant amount of money as bribes by the prosecution team. Cllr. Brown however filed a retrial motion requesting the court to not accept the guilty verdict. Criminal Court A than accepted the retrial motion with a plea from the defense counsels to conduct the trail without grand jury.
All efforts to contact retired General Charles Julu and retired Colonel Andrew Dorbor after the non-guilty verdict yesterday proves unsuccessful due to multitude of supporters jubilating for the two free men. The wife of retired general Charles Julu, Jennet Julu, praised God for the fairness of the trail. She said after long period of war, Liberia recovery must be the concern of all Liberians and not falsely accusing each other. She said her family does not hope to develop malice against anyone in Government.
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