Liberia: U.S. Ambassador McCarthy Raises Concerns over Acquittal of Suspects In US$100M Cocaine Trafficking Case Despite ‘Overwhelming Evidence’

This story has a long way to run yet…

MONROVIA – Outgoing United States Ambassador Michael McCarthy said he was saddened to see the acquittal of suspects in both a recent human trafficking case and in the US$100 million cocaine trafficking case.

On Thursday, May 18, jurors at Criminal Court ‘C’ handed down a unanimous not-guilty verdict, exonerating all four defendants accused of being part of an alleged scheme to import a staggering 520kg of cocaine into Liberia.

That ruling continues to send shockwaves across the country and beyond. The latest high-profile official to weigh in on the issue is Amb. McCarthy.

In his monthly press roundtable, Amb. McCarthy said: “While I hesitate to second-guess any jury and I fully admit that I am not privy to all the details of the prosecutions or their defenses, I hope this does not send a signal of weakness in enforcement to international criminal cartels.

“From an outsider’s perspective it is alarming that convictions could not be obtained in Liberia, even when the evidence seemed so overwhelming. I am also worried about what these developments portend for Liberia’s justice sector, which the United States Government has supported with many millions of dollars over the years in capacity development.”

Amb. McCarthy’s statement comes in the wake of the Ministry of Justice’s failed attempt to convinced the Supreme Court to stop Criminal Court ‘C’ from enforcing the jurors’ verdict in favor of defendants Malam Conte, Adulai Djibril Djalo, Makki Admeh Issam, and Oliver A. Zayzay in a writ of prohibition.

The writ was also aimed at halting the return of the US$210,000 that had been seized by the state during the arrest of the four men.

Right after the jurors’ verdict, the Minister of Justice and Attorney General of Liberia, Cllr. Musa Dean described the ruling as appalling and stated that it clearly undermines the collective efforts of Liberia and its international coalition to clamp down on the illegal transit of illicit drugs using West Africa as the conduit to trade narcotics internationally from Latin America and elsewhere.

He said it becomes worrisome and shameful as in the case of the recent verdict, for the courts to be setting hardcore criminals free when the evidence is overwhelming in the face of international security collaboration that tracked and brought the perpetrators of this heinous crime before the law.

‘Positive Examples’

Despite the negative impact the court’s verdict has had on Liberia’s justice system, Amb. McCarthy shared “some positive examples” and “remarkable law enforcement activities” over the past month.

He paid homage to the Liberia National Police (LNP), for collaborating with the U.S. Embassy Consular section that resulted in the arrest of two fraudulent document vendors who sought to undermine the integrity of U.S. and Liberian documents. Had they been successful, Amb. McCarthy said this would have weakened the security of both countries.

“Let this be a caution to all applicants, that there are unscrupulous criminals in Monrovia who will try and seduce you into thinking that lies and forged documents are a short-cut to qualifying for a visa to the United States,” he warned.

“Nothing could be further from the truth.  When you are caught using falsified documents, you will render yourself ineligible for any visa for years to come, if not for life, and the money you spent on these scoundrels will be lost forever.  You may be ineligible for U.S. funded training and assistance opportunities as well. We greatly appreciate the assistance from the Government of Liberia in smashing these criminal enterprises and putting miscreants behind bars.”

Read more

Liberia: U.S. Ambassador McCarthy Raises Concerns over Acquittal of Suspects In US$100M Cocaine Trafficking Case Despite ‘Overwhelming Evidence’

Primary Sponsor

 


Karma Koala Podcast

Top Marijuana Blog