The political leader of the Alternative National Congress (ANC), Alexander Cummings, says the Liberian Presidency has weaponized the country’s Judiciary into submission and using the courts to suppress and witch hunt opposition politicians for political gains.
Mr. Cummings said such undue political influence by the Executive on both the Judiciary and the Legislature has rendered the two branches of government ineffective and makes mockery of the governance system in the fair and transparent discharge of its constitutional duties to the citizenry.
The ANC’s political leader who spoke Thursday, May 12 on Truth FM, said while he respects the authority of the court, by regularly attending court trial, it was also within the preview of his right to hire the two London-based international firms to conduct forensic investigation to further establish the facts in the allegation of altering the Collaborating Political Parties (CPP) framework document.
Mr. Cummings said court admission by state prosecutors of prosecutorial misconduct that they inadvertently extracted evidence crucial to his innocence and the publicized conflicting exchanges between the Solicitor General and the Justice Minister allude to the facts that charges of forgery and criminal conspiracy are bogus and politically orchestrated by the All Liberian Party of Benoni Urey and the Unity Party in cohort with President Weah to thwart ANC’s Presidential bid in 2023.
Cummings said a trial which should be legally dispensed within 30 days by the Magisterial Court has far exceeded the statutory limitations to nearly five months, without making any significant progress thereby making reference to state prosecutors’ subpoenaed list of 34 State witnesses.
Mr. Cummings who maintained that such unlawful acts by state prosecutors is intended to delay, baffle and deny justice, demands that he seeks alternative actions to protect and defend his hard earned reputation.
The ANC leader said the hiring of the two London-based internationally reputable firms to conduct forensic investigation is aimed at further establishing the facts that the charges are unwarranted and only intended to damage his 40 years old hard work earned both locally and internationally.
Last week, Mr. Cummings hired a London- based firm headed by the former British Prime Minister’s wife, Chiere Blair, along with Alaco, a leading business intelligence and investigations firm, based in London and operating globally, to conduct an independent forensic investigation into the CPP framework document alteration accusation.
ANC’s Cummings, its National Chairperson, Senator Daniel Naatehn, and Secretary General, Cllr. Aloysius Toe are standing trial for alleged alterations of the Collaborating Political Parties (CPP) framework document.
The three accused ANC stalwarts have adamantly denied the charges and described the protracted trial as bogus and politically motivated to quench his quest to contest the Presidency in 2023.
The Cummings versus the Urey Trial has been suspended over and again but the beginning of this week it was due to insecurity at the Temple of Justice in Monrovia according to Magistrate Jomah Jallah.
State prosecutors on Tuesday, May 10, was blamed for the postponement of the “forgery and criminal conspiracy” when the Monrovia City Court Magistrate Jallah announced the indefinite suspension of the trial for what he termed administrative reasons, pending deployment of additional police to guarantee security at the Temple of Justice.
It was said that some supporters of the ANC had gathered in the hundreds at the court on Tuesday in support and to prevent the reoccurrence of last week’s alleged attempted assault on their political leader by individuals believed to be Unity Party partisans.
The State prosecutors led by Solicitor General Syrenius Cephus who requested the postponement said it was to allow the government step up security and provide additional police for crowd control at the Temple of Justice.
The request to step up security is likely to include the screening and to cut down the number of political parties’ supporters attending the trial which has entered the fifth month without any significant progress.
Defense lawyers vehemently rejected the postponement as false alarm by State prosecutors and said it was part of the continuous ploy to delay and baffle the trial, due to lack of tangible evidence to warrant prosecution.
The forgery and criminal conspiracy charge is a misdemeanor and according to Liberian Law should be tried and dispensed within 30 days by the Magisterial Court.
The trial which started January 3, 2022 has entered the fifth month without delving into the merit of the charges and Mr. Cummings considering other option to salvage his reputation has hired a foreign firm to conduct an independent forensic investigation into the CPP framework document alteration accusation.
Meanwhile, Cummings vowed to protect his reputation and though he has reaffirmed his commitment to the court trial, he maintains that he will endeavor to protect and defend his hard-earned reputation against character assassination and injury.
The ANC’s political leader told the public on SKY radio on Monday, May 9 that he maintained his innocence and described the charges of forgery and criminal conspiracy, as bogus and that the protracted delay of a misdemeanor trial is characterized by the unfair and unreasonable legal complications.