MONROVIA, Montserrado – The lawyers representing the indicted senator and chairman of the ruling Unity Party Varney Sherman in the ongoing trial related to the Global Witness report narrowly escaped being incarcerated at the Monrovia Central Prison after they turned over computers and other equipment requested by the court.
The lawyers are G. Moses Paegar, Ceril Jones, Albert Sims, Golda Elliott and F. Musa Dean.
On May 31, the Magistrate of the Monrovia City Court, J. Kennedy Peabody, had found the five lawyers guilty of contempt because they disrespected the court by obstructing justice at Sherman’s home and office.
Peabody said the computers and other items requested by the court in the search and seizure warrant must be brought immediately to the court by the defendants or they would risk being incarcerated at the Monrovia Central Prison for three days.
On June 1, Paegar, who is also President of the Liberian Bar Association, took the computers and other items to court.
The lawyers had earlier paid L$10,000 (US$111) each as fine imposed on them by Peabody for obstructing the court’s sheriff from carrying out a search and seizure arrest warrant on May 23, 2016, at the home and offices of the accused.
Featured photo by Zeze Ballah