Dozens of instruments have been accepted and marked as prosecution’s evidence in the trial of five Central Bank of Liberia (CBL) officials indicted for alleged economic sabotage, money laundering and other crimes after Criminal Court “C” Judge Blamo Dixon denied the defense’s request not to admit the instruments into evidence.In his ruling Monday, 23 September at the Temple of Justice, Judge Dixon said “The denial of placement of mark of identification on exhibits 34, 35, 36, 40 and 41 would be tantamount to a violation of the fundamental and elementary requirement or standard laid down …”
“Therefore, the resistance of the defense team is hereby denied and dismissed. The application of the prosecution for the placement of mark of identification on the instruments referenced is hereby sustained, upheld and granted,” he says.The case involves former President Ellen Johnson – Sirleaf’s son and Deputy CBL Governor Charles Sirleaf, former CBL Executive Governor Milton Weeks, DorborHagba, Richard Walker and Joseph Dennis.
They are accused of allegedly printing billions of Liberian dollars without being authorized and further infusing the money into the Liberian economy thus affecting the economy drastically.Prosecution says the “the criminal syndicate commenced on the 17 of May 2017” when the request was made through the then president Madam Ellen Johnson – Sirleaf to the Legislature for the printing of LRD$5bn to replace mutilated legacy banknotes.
The accused have denied all the charges against them.Government’s first witness Mr. Baba M. Boakai, a Program Manager for Enforcement and Investigation at the Liberia Anti-Corruption Commission (LACC) says analysis made on documents submitted to LACC by the CBL showed that the defendants did not follow the mandate given by both the Legislature and former President Sirleaf.
The Court’s ruling came Monday following the defense team’s objection to the marking into evidence of the instruments submitted by the state last week.The instruments identified by prosecution’s first witness Mr. Boakai include statements obtained from the defendants, letter from former President Sirleaf to the Legislature for the printing of five billion Liberian dollars and the LACC’s investigative report.
Following the marking of the evidence Monday by the Court, witness Bokai confirmed the instruments including exhibit 36 relating to payment documents for the printing of the $10bn Liberian dollars, and exhibit 37, relating to the total quantity of mutilated banknotes that were destroyed in 2017.Mr. Boakai also confirmed exhibit 41 relating to documents on the movement of cash from the reserves vault to the operational vaults of the CBL and exhibit 40 relating to the KPMG Audit Report on the CBL. By Winston W. Parley
