By Grace Q. Bryant
The Criminal Court “A” has suspended and fined US$250, the Solicitor General, Nyanti Tuan, for participating in the ongoing alleged murder trial of former Chief Justice, Gloria Musu Scott apparently clandestinely.
Accordingly, Judge Roosevelt Z. Willie’s decision was based on a communication subject: “night entry of the Temple of Justice premises on September 15 at 8pm,” a copy of which was sent to the Court Administrator and forwarded to the court to conduct an Investigation and take the appropriate legal action.
In the said report, the Judiciary Security Officers stated that Solicitor General Tuan entered the Temple of Justice premises at 8:00pm and deliberated with the police officer assigned at the jury quarter, but did not interact or interfere with any of the Jurors.
According to the Judge yesterday, on September 15, the case was assigned for Monday, September 18, 2023, and both parties were cited into the Judge’s Chamber and therefore to read the Investigation reports from both the jury management and the Judiciary Security Services, adding that the main alleged offender, Solicitor General Tuan, was ordered to comment on the said Report.
In reacting to the report, Cllr. Tuan told the court that indeed, he visited the premises of the Temple of Justice on the day and date as stated in the Investigation Report, along with some officers of the Liberia National Police, but it was around 5:30-6:00pm, not 8:00pm.
According to the Solicitor General, he met with the Judiciary Security Services assigned at the gate, and two of them escorted him to see his officers assigned at the Jury Quarter, but he did not interact or interfere with any of the Jurors.
He furthered that his reasons for coming and wanting to enter the Temple of Justice premises, was to interact with his officers assigned at the Jury Quarter, but he did not interact, neither did he interfere with any of the Jurors.
He narrated that he wanted to advise his officers to be vigilant and careful in their duty at the Jury Quarter, because he did not want to experience the same situation that occurred with the 100 million dollar drug case that was had in Criminal Court ‘C’, wherein the Government lost that case.
The Solicitor General further stated that they got last minute information concerning the trial jurors that were sequestrated during the 100 million case, which was not favorable for the government and the Trial Jurors, who were sequestrated and brought down a ‘not guilty’ verdict in favor of the Defendants.
“Upon listening to the Solicitor General and his admitting to coming to the premises of the Temple of Justice at that odd hour, without any notice to the Court, along with police officers, the Court ruled that Cllr. Nyanti Tuan be suspended from further taking part in the trial as one of the Government lawyers; and fined an amount of US$250, to be paid in the Judiciary Account within 72 hours or three days, effective as of the date of this ruling,” Judge Willie maintained.
The Judge Willie further ruled that the officers, in persons of Amos Korkollie, Titus Massah, Webster J. Paye, and Lassana Liazolu, presently assigned at the jury quarter, with whom the Solicitor General interacted, are hereby expelled from further forming part of the security team assigned at the Jury Quarter, and thereby ordered the Clerk to write the Inspector General (IG) of Liberia National Police, to the forward the names of the four police officers through the Court.
