The Trial Of Ellen Johnson Sirleaf
Episode
II
In
the Grand Inquest room prosecution team was frantically justifying their
indictment. Prosecution had slammed defendant Ellen Johnson Sirleaf with 11-count
charges. There are 15 Grand Jurors that must be convinced to draw a
prosecutable indictment. If there was not a unanimous decision, the indictment would
not see the light of day.
The
Chief Prosecutor is Cllr. Tuan Wreh. He was selected of three dozens of
qualified, competent and astute lawyers. He had hesitated to take the job on
grounds that he knew Ellen when she was teenager. Not that he would have created
biases in favor of her, but that he was surprise to have seen a sweet little
girl turned into a monster, virtually present in all anarchy that brought the
country to its knees.
“My son,” Albert Porte patted Cllr.
Wreh his right shoulder. He turns to look at the erudite radical and human
right activities, the old man did not reciprocate. He had his head down figuring
the appropriate words to speak. He signaled with his index finger for Cllr.
Wreh to follow him. They walked away from a group of lawyers and passed a
handful of Tuan’s supporters.
“I am hearing you want to turn down
the job to prosecute Madam Sirleaf, is that true?
“Errrh…,” he scratched his head.
“Yes…no.”
“What
do you mean?”
“I
am more sad than angry to prosecute a person who was the beckon of hope for
Liberian women. A person who stood for justice, human rights, good governance,
rule of law, and stood the flames of fire.”
“I
see…,” Porte began to speak.
“Not
only those, I have to make the decision to do the right thing, and that is what
I stand for. You know me old man Porte. I never waver, I never fear anything.
You taught us to fear nothing but to do wrong.”
“Exactly,
it is you we got. You must take this job, it is more than a job, it is a duty
to this country,” said the radical activist.
“Ehn-han… that is the Tuan I know.
My son, stand on Liberia and deal with anyone who tries to pull her from under
you…”
He had hardly ended his statement when
Cllr. Wreh burst into laughter. “Did you say somebody will pull this one
country ours from under me or rather from under us? No way, Mr. Porte! That
means all your efforts of yesteryear was a waste. And I am not in the mood to
let this slap land in your face,” he said.
As Cllr. Wreh lifted his eyes, his
assistant signaled. The Grand Jury was ready for the prosecution to present
their indictment and provide factual and circumstantial evidences that are needed
to approve the indictment. He excused himself of Porte and rushed on the second
floor of the Temple of Justice, where the Grand Jury deliberation room was
located.
At the head of the jury was G.
Baccus Matthew, as Foreman. He was surrounded by 14 other prominent citizens,
of Ellen’s age, as enshrined in the Constitution. Assisting Baccus was Albert
Karpeh, the former Liberian Ambassador to Sierra Leone. Karpeh was killed by
the resistant armed group, United Liberation for Democracy (ULIMO). He was the
only Krahn man who made it to the 15-member jury. The other assistant was
Varney Dempster, the former Police Director during the Tolbert administration,
during the same time Madam Sirleaf was finance Minister.
The secretary of the Jury was Kaloungo
Luo. He was on his farm in Nimba when he heard that the Special Fast Track
Court was selecting jurors for the trial of Madam Sirleaf. He arrived in
Monrovia fours to the conclusion of the selection process. He rushed at the
Temple of Justice and he was selected.
The eldest of the jurors was Taylor
E. Mayor. He had sat in his seat for more than two hours without saying a word.
He attempted saying something but quipped: “We need our lunch now or else our
mouths will be sealed…”
THE
SERIES CONTINUES.
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