Sherman granted permission to U.S.

On the approval of Justice – in- Chambers Philip A.Z. Banks, III, the Criminal Court “C” in Monrovia has permitted one of several Global Witness indictees Sen. H. Varney G. Sherman, to travel to the United States to seek advanced medical intervention.

“Your client, Cllr. H. Varney G. Sherman, is therefore hereby permitted to travel out of the bailiwick of Liberia for medical intervention sought, and to return to the country after the medical intervention aforesaid”, Court “C” Clerk Knowles W. Shain, wrote Sen. Sherman’s counsels on Friday, 19 May in the alleged US$900,000 economic sabotage trial.

Sen. Sherman fell off on Thursday, 11 May at the Capitol Building, while attending the endorsement ceremony of ruling Unity Party or UP Presidential aspirant, Vice President Joseph Nyumah Boakai, by majority members of the Liberian Senate.

The Court’s permission to Sen. Sherman to seek foreign medical attention came after doctors at the government -run John F. Kennedy Medical Center here in Sinkor, Monrovia advised his wife and relatives to have him taken abroad.

“The hospital administration and attending physicians have advised our client, Varney Sherman to seek urgent advanced medical intervention abroad”, Sen. Sherman’s counsels wrote the Court on 18 May.

Doctors say the 64-year-old is a hypertensive and diabetic patient, and was admitted into the emergency room at the JFKMC on 11 May.The Grand Cape Mount County Senator and former chair of the ruling UP has been in the center of controversy here after he and several past and current officials were accused by the international environmental watchdog, Global Witness of allegedly soliciting and receiving bribes from U.K.- based Sable Mining to influence the change of a concession law here.

Sen. Sherman was indicted along with dethroned former House Speaker J. Alex Tyler, Nigerian national Chris Onanuga, former Minister of State for Economic and Legal Affairs, now Senator Morris Saytumah, former Lands, Mines and Energy Minister, Dr. Eugene Shannon, and ex-chair of the National Investment Commission, Richard Tolbert, among others.

By Winston W. Parley -Editing by Jonathan Browne