1 Mins Read
ADNews-Monrovia, Liberia: The Monrovia City Court is set to deliver its ruling this Friday in a high-profile arson case involving Former House Speaker Fonati Koffa and three co-defendants, following the conclusion of final legal arguments on both sides.
By Benjamin Quaye Johnson benjaminqjohnson@gmail.com
The defense team, led by former Associate Justice Wilkins Wright, has called for the dismissal of the case, arguing that the central evidence presented by the prosecution was obtained from mobile phones not belonging to the accused.
According to Wright, this violates Chapter 11.10 of the Criminal Procedure Law, which governs the admissibility and collection of evidence.
“The data presented is not only irrelevant but was obtained improperly. It should therefore be suppressed, and the case against our clients dismissed,” Wright asserted in court.
In response, state prosecutor Cllr. Richard Scott firmly opposed the defense’s motion, labeling it untimely and procedurally flawed.
He argued that the defense failed to raise concerns over the evidence earlier in the proceedings, and as such, the court is obliged to consider it.
“Once evidence has been formally admitted into the record, it cannot be discarded simply because it becomes inconvenient for the defense,” Scott stated.
Presiding Magistrate L. Ben Barco acknowledged the arguments but emphasized that the evidence in question had already met the court’s admissibility threshold.
He added that the Supreme Court had previously upheld the lower court’s ruling on the matter during an earlier phase of the proceedings, setting a precedent the trial court is bound to follow.
Comments are closed.