Former Vice President Joseph Boakai continued on the witness stand, Tuesday, May 17, with cross-examination by Defense Lawyers of the Alternative National Congress (ANC) in the ongoing trial involving three ANC officials accused of altering the Collaborating Political Parties (CPP) framework document.
Boakai said since signing the CPP framework document on May 19, followed by huge public outcry, and subsequent review and changes by a team of lawyers, he had neither seen nor received a copy of the CPP framework document.
Responding to ANC defense lawyers' question, the former Vice President said after the "amended recommendations" of the CPP team of Lawyers, and subsequent decision to send the framework document to the CPP Validation Committee, he never saw the document again. "I am aware that the lawyers' amended recommendations were brought to us and discussed. After that, they were supposed to have submitted it to the validation committee. That part is administrative. I never saw the document anymore," Boakai said.
The former Vice President said he was also aware that the CPP, under the leadership of the Liberty Party Nyonblee Karnga Lawrence, commissioned and conducted an investigation of the All Liberian Party allegations that the CPP Framework was altered.
When questioned about the Exit Clause in the CPP framework document supposedly signed on May 19, 2020, witness Boakai said the version he read and signed had the word "resign" prior to the ten-count recommended changes by the team of CPP lawyers.
"In the document that I signed, the wording was 'resign'. Count 5 used the word exit which was not in our document," Boakai said.
ANC Defense Lawyer referred to June 18, 2020, when Mr. Cummings posted the amended CPP Framework document and issues arising from the review of the CPP Framework in the National Advisory Council WhatsApp chatroom, asked whether Mr. Boakai still maintains that after the lawyers' review and presentation to the four parties at the LP HQ, Mr. Boakai never saw the document again.
In response, Mr. Boakai maintained: "I said that the final document after the amendment recommendations, the lawyers and our subsequent decision to send it to the validation committee which was an administrative duty that could only be handled by the chairperson. I have said further that I don't follow discussion and approval of important documents in chat room," Boakai said.
ANC lead Defense Lawyer, Cllr. Abrahim Sillah is seeking to establish what he calls contradictions in the testimonies of Mr. Boakai versus state prosecutors' first state witness, Theodore Momo, who testified last February.
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Boakai, opposition Political Leader of the former ruling party, the Unity Party, is the fourth state witness to testify for the government in the trial involving the ANC Political Leader, Mr. Alexander Cummings, it's National Chairman Daniel Naatehn and Secretary-General, Counsellor Aloysius Toe, charged with forgery and criminal conspiracy for reportedly altering the CPP framework document.
The three accused ANC stalwarts have adamantly denied the charges and describe the protracted trial as bogus and politically motivated by the All Liberian Party of Mr. Benoni Urey in cohort with the Unity Party of Joseph Boakai and President George Weah to thwart Mr. Cummings Presidential bid in 2023.
Meanwhile, the former Vice President continues on the witness stand for the cross-examination by ANC Defense Lawyers.
