By: G Bennie Bravo Johnson I
The Liberia National Police has Charged and forwarded to court two court officers of the civil law court Annex-B for allegedly stealing money generated by the court during the court trial.
Defendants Pobleh P. Wea and Nah J. Wollor, sheriff and Clerk respectively of the Civil Law Court Annex-B were charged with the Crimes, “MIS-APPLICATION OF ENTRUSTED PROPERTY, THEFT OF PROPERTY AND CRIMINAL CONSPIRACY”, in the tone of Two Hundred Twenty-Eight Thousand, Three Hundred Sixty United States Dollars Sixty-Seven Cents
(USD$228,360.67).
According to the LNP charge sheet, the acts committed by the court officers are in violations of Chapters 15 & 10, Sub–
Chapter “D”, Sections 15.51, 15.56 & 10.4 of the Revised Penal Law of Liberia, based upon a complaint filed against him by His Honor Ousman F. Feika, Assigned Circuit Judge Civil Law Court Annex B, Temple of Justice, Judiciary Branch, Montserrado County, Republic of Liberia.
According to the police charge sheets, the investigative team established that defendants Nah J. Wollor, Clerk of Civil Law Court Annex and Pobleh P. Wea, Sheriff of Civil Law Court Annex B on several occasions received funds from party litigants as indemnification of parties when judgment is rendered, and said amount was placed into an escrow account to safeguard the funds belonging to the party litigant.
Deposit slips, withdrawal slips and
cheques/checks issued to the court through the sheriff and the clerk office by party litigant, and bank statements from the escrow accounts of both United States Dollars (53030550010299) and Liberian Dollars (53030550010305) from the United Bank of Africa (UBA) Shows the current bank balance of USD$ 103.34 and LRD$20,981.73 and the previous bank balances of USD 228,360.67 and LRD$20,772.05 showed that they had said funds between the period July 1, 2021 to January 8, 2024.
The investigation also gathered that after defendants Nah J. Wollor, Clerk of the Civil Law Court, and Pobleh P. Wea, Sheriff received the funds from litigants in fulfillment of judgment for a summary proceeding to recover possession of real property.
They were instructed by the Judge of Civil Court Annex B to place the money in an escrow account that would be monitored by them which they did, but with criminal intent started withdrawing funds from the accounts unknown to the judge using the money for personal use instead of presenting the funds to party litigant, an act which was contrary to the sole purpose and intent of the funds have been deposited into an escrow account for safety.
The police provided that such an act
gave clues to the investigation that they were knowledgeable of the commission of the crimes furthermore the two being officers of the court who understand court proceedings and the purpose and intent of the funds deposited into an escrow account, they had prior knowledge of the act perpetrated against the court and party litigant.
Meanwhile, the LNP charge sheets recorded that His Honor Ousman F. Feika, Assigned Circuit Judge Civil Law Court Annex B, Temple of Justice, Judiciary Branch, Montserrado County, Republic of Liberia, who is the complaint averred that, in November 2023, the Civil Law Annex B concluded a summary proceedings case and then ordered the court’s sheriff defendant Pobleh P, Wea, to pay to the successful party the amount of Nine Thousand, Six Hundred United States Dollars
(US$9,600.00), which had been paid to him by order of the court back in 2022 while the case was ongoing.
The complainant continues that after said
amount was requested to fulfill Judgement to the party from the defendant Pobleh P. Wea, he pretended that he was getting the money from his account and went into hiding for a month.
In furtherance of his explanation after defendant Pobleh P. Wea refused to return the funds the court decided to conduct a massive search for the living body of defendant Pobleh P. Wea but such search did not heed no result until a month later when defendant Pobleh P. Wea turned himself over to the court.
The complainant averred that after the return of defendant Pobleh P. Wea, he was asked whether he brought the money from his account but he could not explain anything convincing to the court based on his Conduct preliminary investigation was conducted and from that investigation, it was proven that the defendants Pobleh P. Wea Sheriff and Nah J. Wollor Clerk of Court conspired and withdrew all of the monies in the escrow account of the court and they were forwarded to the Ministry of Justice through the County Attorney’s Office of Montserrado County for internal investigation.
