By Grace Q. Bryant
The Supreme Court of Liberia has cleared Senator Milton Teahjay of Sinoe County, to run for senator in the upcoming 2023 General and Presidential Elections.
This decision comes after a complaint was filed from supporters of Representative Crayton Duncan, challenging the qualification of Teahjay, on grounds that he is an ex-convict.
They argued that Senator Teahjay was not qualified to contest the senatorial seat in Sinoe, due to his prior conviction for multiple crimes in 2018.
Teahjay’s legal team, however, resisted the allegation, arguing that the disability imposed on him as a result of the conviction has been removed.
However, the Supreme Court, in delivering its verdict over the weekend, stated that the National Elections Commission’s nomination and regulation procedure named those qualified to challenge nominees whose names appear on the provisional list for the 2023 General and Presidential Elections, which are; a candidate, participating political party, coalition, or alliance.
Hence, the Supreme Court noted that voters, such as the appellants (supporter of Representative Crayton Duncan) not being among those listed in the Regulation, lack the legal capacity and standing to file objection to the nomination of the appellee.
The High Court ruled that the ruling of the Board of Commissioners confirming the ruling of the hearing officers of the NEC, dismissing the appellants’ objections, is hereby affirmed.
Clerk of the Court was mandated to send a mandate to the NEC to resume jurisdiction over this case and give effect to this Judgment, adding that the costs are ruled against the appellants.
It can be recalled that the case arose from an investigation conducted by the Liberia Anti-Corruption Commission (LACC), in which Teahjay and McDonald Wlemus, former Development Superintendents, stand accused of expending US$50,000, representing 30 percent of land rental fees entrusted to the two men by the Government, for the development of the county.
The indictment alleges that Teahjay illegally disbursed, used, and expended, without any evidence, US$12,000 of proceeds realized from sales of rubber seized from illegal tappers from the SRC plantation.
“Therefore, the defendants did knowingly, feloniously, purposely, criminally, maliciously, willfully, and intentionally steal, pilfer, take, and carry away, exercise unauthorized control over, and convert the total amount of US$12,000 to their own use and benefit and or the use of the benefits of others,” the indictment added.
The 2014 new election law provides that those convicted of a criminal offense cannot contest elections; this ban does not apply to a candidate undergoing a criminal trial.
