Monrovia- Legal Courtroom “A” Decide Roosevelt Z. Willie has denied a defence movement searching for to televise proceedings within the ongoing Capitol Constructing Arson Trial, describing the request as a violation of current court docket guidelines and an try to “carry the court docket to public disrepute.”
By Willie N. Tokpah
The request, made by Cllr. Johnson, got here amid rising public scrutiny and intense nationwide curiosity within the case, which entails the prosecution of a number of people accused of orchestrating the mysterious hearth that gutted a wing of the historic Capitol Constructing earlier this 12 months.
Cllr. Johnson argued that the general public nature of the case, in addition to Liberia’s commitments to freedom of data, justified dwell media protection of the trial.
He cited the Freedom of Info Act, the Desk Mountain Declaration, and historic priority in election-related circumstances the place the Supreme Courtroom allowed public broadcasts of proceedings.
“It is a new period,” Johnson advised the court docket.
“We can not proceed to depend on outdated guidelines that block public entry.
This trial issues the very coronary heart of our democracy, and the general public has a proper to know the whole lot, in actual time.”
He additionally referenced the “Diploma Petition Case”, which sought to find out the constitutionality of sure lawmakers, together with J. Fonati Koffa, to emphasize that public curiosity warrants public entry.
Prosecution Pushes Again
“That is Grandstanding”
However the prosecution, led by Cllr. Richard Scott, strongly opposed the movement, calling it “a deliberate try to undermine court docket guidelines and delay proceedings.”
Scott argued that the present guidelines weren’t outdated as claimed, clarifying that they have been revised in 1999 underneath Justice Wilkins Wright, not from the Sixties because the defence claimed.
“Thedefencee is participating in grandstanding and misinformation,” Scott advised the court docket.
“The regulation is obvious. Rule 11 prohibits any recording or broadcast of dwell court docket proceedings.”
He accused the defence of making an attempt to sway public opinion exterior the courtroom, which, he mentioned, was a violation of the sub judice precept, and even urged the court docket to high quality the defence crew for taking the case “to the press reasonably than the court docket.”
Scott additional argued that if the defence needs to problem the foundations, they need to achieve this through a proper petition to the Supreme Courtroom or Legislature, not by motions in ongoing legal proceedings.
Decide Willie’s Ruling,
“Each Case Is Public, However Not for Public Show”
In his ruling, Decide Willie acknowledged that every one circumstances inherently serve the general public curiosity, however rejected the notion that public curiosity justifies media entry in the way in which the defence proposed.
“Public curiosity refers back to the welfare of society,” the decide mentioned. “However there isn’t any one case that’s extra ‘public’ than one other.
The principles should apply to all, equally and with out exception.”
Decide Willie cited Rule 11, which strictly forbids dwell broadcasts and recording in all Liberian courtrooms, and emphasised that permitting such a request would degrade courtroom decorum and mislead the general public.
Quoting straight from the rule, he acknowledged, “Proceedings in court docket shall be performed with sure dignity and ideal decorum.
The taking of pictures and recording of dwell broadcasts are calculated to permit attorneys to grandstand, detract from witnesses giving testimony, degrade the court docket, and create false impression, this shall not be permitted.”
Decide Willie additional burdened that any request to alter this rule should be formally submitted to the Liberia Bar Affiliation or the Supreme Courtroom Guidelines Committee, not raised in open court docket.
“The defence’s request is just not solely impermissible underneath the present guidelines, it’s contemptuous,” he concluded.
“As such, the request is denied.”
The Capitol Arson Trial has captivated nationwide consideration, not simply because of the symbolic weight of the crime, but additionally due to the high-profile suspects and political implications surrounding it.
Authorized analysts are already elevating issues concerning the obvious sample in Decide Willie’s rulings, notably his constant siding with state arguments in politically delicate issues.
Critics level to previous circumstances the place the decide has sided with authorities prosecutors even in conditions the place defence motions raised substantial constitutional questions.
Right this moment’s ruling is anticipated to gas criticism from civil society, press freedom advocates, and opposition figures who’ve already accused the state of utilizing the judiciary as a instrument for political management.
In the meantime, sources near the defence crew say they’re weighing a constitutional petition to the Supreme Courtroom to problem the media blackout and search broader entry for the general public.
Stick with us for continued protection of the Capitol Arson Trial, reactions from authorized stakeholders, and attainable subsequent steps by the defence.
