Court Subpoenas AFL Chief Of Staff, Others

By Grace Q. Bryant
Monrovia, Liberia Feb. 21, 2020 –The Criminal Court ‘C’ has subpoenaed the Armed Forces of Liberia (AFL) Chief of Staff, Prince C. Johnson III, the Deputy Chief of Staff, Geraldine George and Capt. Nathaniel Waka along with the management of the Ecobank Liberia Limited to testify in the ongoing trial of former Defense Minister Brownie Samukai and others.
Judge Yamie Gbeisay’s subpoena Ad Testificandum ordered to be served on the top AFL officials is simply a summon, inviting them to appear in court to testify on behalf of the State regarding the AFL’s internal reconciliation investigation in relations to the pension account domiciled by the Ecobank and the requirement and or morale account from the date of its establishment up to and including November 3, 2017.
The court’s subpoena decum tecun was also issued on the management of the Ecobank Liberia as a judicial call to that institution to produce all relevant document including bank statements, vouchers emanating from the Ministry of National Defense, number titled ‘AFL Pension Fund’ which was later changed to the AFL Welfare and Morale covering the period of July 2009 up to and including November 3, 2017.
Judge Gbeisay’s subpoenas were basis on the testimony of prosecution’s second witness, Marc N. Kollie, the Chief investigator at the Liberia Anti-Corruption Commission, who stated that those being summoned had already informed an internal investigation conducted with them on the AFL’s Pension fund and revealed that the funds were expended on unrelated activities which they referred to as “AFL Operations,” among others.
Witness Kollie revealed that the AFL’s high command informed the investigation that they did not authorize those payments neither were those payments done with their consent therefore, the investigation found out that those payments were not authorized by the high command of the AFL from whose salaries the deductions were made.
The witness maintained that in identifying traces of the crimes in line of the allegation which indicate that an account was opened at the Eco bank, the investigation endeavored and requested the Ecobank Liberia management to reveal the account opening packages as well as bank statements.
E told that court that defendant Samukai, as Minister of Defense and signatory ‘A’ to the AFL pension account withdrew or caused to withdraw over US$800, 000 for an unsubstantiated reason while the co-signatory, to the said accounts was the then comptroller, J. Nyumah Dorkor.
While as Deputy Minister for Administration, defendant Joseph Johnson, as an ‘A’ signatory power to that account, withdrew or caused to withdraw over US$ 400, 000; the witness alleged that defendant Samukai informed the investigation that the government had agreed to pay back said monies.