A chaotic scene erupted between Judge Blamo Dixon and Solicitor General Augustine Fayiah on Friday, November 15, during Samuel Tweah's bail hearing at Criminal Court "C" at the Temple of Justice, regarding the questioning of Tweah's bond man. The intense disruptive argument caused a delay in the legal proceedings for several hours.
The investigation was focused on the legitimacy of the US$8 million property valuation bond posted for Tweah, the former Finance Minister, and his co-defendants.
However, Cllr. Fayiah, the Solicitor General and lead prosecutor, engaged in a heated argument with Judge Blamo Dixon over the validity of the bond secured by Tweah and his legal team.
The bond was secured by Patrick Coleman and covered properties in Johnsonville Township, Caldwell and New Georgia, Montserrado County.
The prosecution, led by the Ministry of Justice and the Liberia Anti-Corruption Commission (LACC), objected to the bond's validity, citing identified defects which, they argued, rendered it potentially invalid and insufficient.
Despite previous postponements due to prosecution excuses, the hearing on Friday marked the third session within a week. The tense exchange erupted between Cllr. Augustine Fayiah and Judge Blamo Dixon when the defense lawyer, Cllr. Arthur Johnson, began questioning Mr. Coleman, the surety. The disagreement escalated, with Fayiah accusing Johnson of influencing the witness's responses.
Cllr. Fayiah took serious exception, accusing Johnson of signaling to the surety, who was on the witness stand, on how to answer his (Johnson's) question.
Judge Dixon attempted to mediate the situation but faced resistance from Fayiah.
The courtroom interaction suddenly escalated into a tense exchange, between Dixon and Fayiah drawing significant attention, as they spoke loudly as the argument went on for hours.
Eyewitnesses said Judge Dixon even went to the extent of reminding Fayiah that Coleman "was not a witness, but a surety who was brought to justify his bond."
In response, Fayiah immediately raised his voice and replied: "He is a witness, and the lawyer cannot instruct him. I want you to control him. He is instructing the witness."
This response triggered the judge's anger, and he retorted, "Oh really? You can't interfere with the lawyer questioning the surety. You have to wait for your time, to cross-examine the surety."
The Solicitor General, maintaining his stance, responded firmly, "stop him from instructing the witness."
The judge, clearly displeased, asked the defense lawyer not to go close to the surety on the witness stand.
Fayiah replied, "This is what I expect from you."
The Judge became more irritated, and warned the lawyer to avoid making frivolous comments.
In response, Fayiah said, "I just want you to tell the lawyer not to go near the witness stand."
Judge Dixon ultimately calmed the situation down, instructing Cllr. Johnson to continue with his questioning of Coleman, the surety.
Coleman, however, denied the prosecution's assertion that the property valuation bond posted for the defendants is defective and insufficient.
"On February 1, 2024, I paid US$30,000 tax on the property in Johnsonville to the Small Tax Division of the Liberia Revenue Authority (LRA), and a tax clearance certificate was issued to me," Coleman said in his justification.
Sign up for free AllAfrica Newsletters
Get the latest in African news delivered straight to your inbox
He said one acre of land, with a story building, one of the two properties for the bond, was bought for US$4,800 on April 10, 2012, probated and registered according to the law.
According to Coleman, all of the properties under his care are worth several millions of dollars. Explaining his role in posting bonds for defendants, Coleman said, since 2000, real estate owners had entrusted him with their properties for bond purposes.
"I am a recognized real estate agent and owner of properties. I have an oversight responsibility to manage, secure bonds, and to file property valuation bonds. I am Attorney-In-Fact for several real estate owners."
Tweah's case is scheduled to continue with the prosecution cross examining Coleman's bond for November 20.
