MONROVIA, Montserrado- Criminal Court A Judge, Roosevelt Willie has denied a prosecution’s motion to order the re-arrest of Montserrdo’s tenth district representative, Yekeh Kolubah and five others who were jointly indicted for multiple criminal offenses, including kidnapping and criminal attempt to commit murder.

Kolubah was arrested on June 5, and accused of ordering his bodyguards to physically beat Emmanual Freeman, a resident of his district who had refused to accept a leaflet and T-shirt for the June 7 save the state protest. He and five other defendants who were also arrested were jointly indicted by the Grand Jury of Montserrado for multiple criminal offenses, including kidnapping and criminal attempt to commit murder.

The lawmaker’s co-defendants include Mohammad and Abu Keita, Oliver Konneh, Johnson Kpor, and Mohammad Kaba. They were however released to their lawyer after filing a property insurance bond, although the lawmaker was yet to show up to respond to his indictment. He voluntarily took himself to court on Tuesday, June 25.

The day after the lawmaker showed up to the court, the judge issued the travel restriction for him and all five co-defendants. It followed a prosecution’s petition to the court claiming that the defendants were at flight risk and could evade being prosecuted by secretly leaving the country since they were released on a surety property bail bond.

The judge immediately ordered the rearrest of the six defendants and at the same time informed state securities at various border entrances to arrest the living bodies of any of the defendants who also attempts to violate the order by leaving the country.

Meanwhile, the prosecution’s Bill of Information on Tuesday reminded the court that despite its ruling to re-arrest the Montserrado’s lawmaker and his co-defendants, no single arrest was yet to be made. The Bill of Information was basically remaining for the court to implement its earlier decision to incarcerate the six defendants.

But Judge Willie ruled Tuesday that there were no reasons stated by the prosecution to re-arrest the defendants because they have re-filed another bond with two sureties and have been signing the sheriff’s record.

“As far as this court is concerned, the conducts, so far, of the defendants to include Rep. Kolubah outside incarceration will in no way embarrass this court; The defendants have a surety bail bond attached before this court. [And] this court wishes to assure all parties that it is satisfied with what the defendants proffered while awaiting trial,” he ruled.

“Therefore, the court cannot re-arrested the defendants.”

However, he said, if the defendants’ conducts violate any provision laid down by their bond, the court will not hesitate to order their re-arrest.

Featured photo by Zeze Ballah