Sanniquellie — The Resident Judge of the Eighth Judiciary Circuit Court in Sanniquellie, Nimba County, has convicted and sentenced three individuals to ten years in prison each for the crimes of Theft of Property, Criminal Conspiracy, and Criminal Facilitation.
The sentencing follows an indictment by the Grand Jury against Ganta residents Esona Kamara, Emmanuel Porte, and Princess Porte.
The indictment stated, "During the period from December 17, 2023, to January 31, 2024, in the City of Ganta, the principal defendant Esona Kamara, along with co-defendants Emmanuel Porte and Princess Porte, purposely, knowingly, intentionally, and criminally committed the crimes of Theft of Property, Criminal Conspiracy, and Criminal Facilitation."
"Through the influence and operation of the principal defendant Esona Kamara, an amount of Fourteen Million Five Hundred Thousand Liberian Dollars (LD 14,500,000) plus Twenty-Eight Thousand United States Dollars (USD 28,000) was stolen from the private prosecutor's business over a period of time during her employment. At all times relevant to the indictment, the principal defendant Esona Kamara was earning 34,000 LD per month, yet had acquired property which she never owned prior to her employment."
"On January 31, 2024, the private prosecutor Taro Nya Dekpah, upon noticing that 200,000 Liberian Dollars could not be accounted for, conducted an inquiry. During this time, principal defendant Esona Kamara admitted to the theft and produced 100,000 Liberian Dollars from the amount."
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In delivering the sentence, Judge Pape Suah noted that prior to the sentencing, a probation officer had visited the community in Ganta and confirmed the defendants' involvement in the crime. The defendants were given a chance to meet with the victim's family but refused.
Judge Suah stated that the three defendants were charged with various crimes, including Money Laundering and Theft of Property. He ordered them to repay the stolen amounts of Fourteen Million Five Hundred Thousand Liberian Dollars (LD 14,500,000) plus Twenty-Eight Thousand United States Dollars (USD 28,000).
Following the ruling, Dekpah expressed his appreciation for the court's decision, saying, "The ruling today shows that the court should always be the place of redress."
However, a lawyer from the Jones and Jones Law Group, Cllr. Peter Kerkula, announced their intention to appeal to the Supreme Court. "We are not happy with Judge Suah's ruling, and we will seek an appeal," he told our correspondent.
