By Precious D. Freeman
In a pivotal ruling, the jury of Criminal Court ‘A’ declared Yaccuba Sawadogo, a Q-Net independent representative, not guilty of human trafficking charges on Tuesday.
The jury arrived at the decision in a 11-1 vote, after hours of closed-door deliberations.
Immediately following the verdict, Judge Roosevelt Willie, ordered
Sawadogo released from the Monrovia Central Prison, where he has been detained since September 2023.
He was also charged with criminal conspiracy, theft of property and kidnaping.
The majority jurors said that the government failed to produce evidence to convict defendant Sawadogo.
Sawadogo has initially denied the charges when he testified as defense first witness, during the trial.
In the indictment, the government alleges that, between the period of September A.D. 2022, January A.D.2023, April A.D.2023, May A.D. 2023, June 10, A.D. 2023 up to and including September AD. 2023, in the Republic of Sierra Leone and Liberia respectively, Defendant Sawadogo developed a criminal scheme, and thereby induced and influenced his victims, to believe that there were means and places for them to travel to Canada.
Defendant Sawadogo told the victims that Q-Net would assist and facilitate them in this regard.
According to the indictment, defendant Sawadogo induced each of the eleven Sierra Leonean, to pay US$1,000 amounting to US$11,000, for onward processing of their purported travel documents, at which time these amounts were paid at Kebbah’s Q Net, Blue Diamond 006 office, in Barnesville Township/Montserrado County, Liberia.
At the defendants’ purported office, the victims were kept in an isolated place under the Q Net office officers’ apparent control (where Defendants had lock and key sustenance, and other means of dominion and control over the victims leaving the premises, exercising their freedoms, and including returning to Sierra Leone)
The victims did not travel to Canada, but were rather diverted to the defendants’ business office / location, and in accordance with the defendants’ apparent plan provided strict instructions to bring additional two persons each if they were to be allowed their freedom(s), or given other privileges.
In no event was anyone ever taken to, or facilitated in their travel to get to Canada or elsewhere outside of Sierra Leone or Liberia.
“The victims were held against their will, and they were, essentially, in conditions of involuntary servitude, held at the whims of the defendants and forced to eat when the defendants fed them.
“They fed them, which sometimes they did not, stay inside and perform duties given them including the recruitment of other persons, sleep when permitted, and subjected to other similar involuntary servitude conditions,” the indictment alleged.
