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Liberian Supreme Court orders govt to return $113,000 to defendants acquitted in $100m cocaine trial

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The Liberian Supreme Court had ordered the federal government to return the sum of $113,000 to defendants who were standing trial in a $100M cocaine case but were discharged and acquitted.

The defendants, Malam Conte, Adulai Djibril Djalo, Makki Ahmad Issam and Oliver A. Zayzay, were accused by the government of shipping cocaine worth $100 million into the country last year.

The verdict was given by the President of the court, Associate Justice Yamie Quiqui Gbeisay, who also denied a writ of prohibition filed by the government through the Ministry of Justice, challenging the return of the money to the men.

The government had argued that the money in question was confiscated from one Gustavo Henrique who was tried in absentia and was not among those acquitted by the lower court.

The Justice Ministry insisted that the money was confiscated during the arrest of one of the four defendants, Malam Conte, at the premises of TRH Trading, the company that shipped the cocaine into the country.

The 520kg haul of cocaine substance was seized by authorities in 2022 among containers that TRH Trading had imported from Brazil where the drug worth over $100 million was discovered, making it one of the largest drug-related cases in the country’s history.

According to TRH Trading, a subsidiary of AJA Group Holdings, the accused allegedly offered to pay $200,000 for a single container of frozen foods on which the cocaine was smuggled, which at the time cost less than $30,000.

The government also argued that Henrique absconded from Liberia upon learning of the arrest of Malam Conte on October 1, 2022, and was never brought under the jurisdiction of the court.

“For the State to return any money, it has to be based upon a process initiated by Gustavo Henrique, and not any of the four individuals,” the government argued.

They were arraigned on charges bordering on “commission of money laundering, unlicensed possession of controlled drugs and unlicensed importation of controlled drugs.”

After months of trial, the accused were exonerated and acquitted of all the charges by an empaneled jury.

According to the jury, the accused had no knowledge of the cocaine smuggling operation as claimed by the government, and that the money seized from the men should be returned to them.

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Metro

Zambia’s ruling party UPND warns against personal attacks on President Hichilema

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Zambia’s ruling party, the UPND, has warned opposition politicians and critics against personal attacks on President Hakainde Hichilema as his meekness should not be mistaken for weakness.

Secretary-General of the UPND, Batuke Imenda, who gave the warning in a statement in Lusaka on Monday, urged political opponents to always engage in mature and issue-based discourse.

Zambia Monitor reports that Imenda’s warning, was directed at the leader of Zambia Must Prosper (ZMP) party, Kelvin Bwalya Fube, whose recent remarks Imenda described as “provocative” and a “feeble attempt to mislead citizens.”

“Provocative words uttered by Kelvin Bwalya against our party and President Hichilema are a clear demonstration of naivety,” Imenda said in the statement.

He further advised Bwalya to abandon personal attacks and focus on substantial political issues.

The UPND Secretary suggested that Bwalya’s attacks stemmed from a desire for relevance amid declining political fortunes, hinting at a possible alignment with former President Edgar Lungu.

“It appears KBF is hoping that Edgar Lungu might support his embattled political career by unjustly attacking President Hichilema,” he said.

Imenda defended the President’s record, highlighting that under Hichilema’s leadership, Zambia’s democratic space had expanded compared to the previous PF administration, which he accused of stifling freedoms.

He noted that while criticism was welcome, it should not devolve into baseless attacks, warning that opposition figures should not misinterpret Hichilema’s restraint as weakness.

Imenda also criticized Bwalya for overlooking the gains in transparency and justice since the change in government, claiming that past regimes were marked by resource mismanagement and corruption.

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Metro

Following backlash, Nigerian govt withdraws treason charges against minors

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The Nigerian government has officially withdrawn the treason charges it entered against some minors who participated in the #EndBadGovernance protest that spread across the country from August 1 to the 10th.

The nation was thrown into shock on Friday when the Nigeria Police presented 76 protesters at the Federal High Court in Abuja on charges bordering on treason. Among the suspects were four minors who slumped before they could be arraigned before the court.

This caused serious uproar in the country with Nigerians condemning the government and calling for the unconditional release of the kids and the dismissal of the charges against them.

The decision to withdraw the charges against the underage accused came following a directive by President Bola Tinubu who ordered the immediate withdrawal of the charges and an in-depth investigation into what led to the arrest and detention of the minors.

Tinubu had also ordered the Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Prince Lateef Fagbemi, (SAN) to officially take over the case file as well as review the cases following public outcry that came with the arraignment of the minors.

The charges were finally withdrawn on Tuesday at the Federal High Court in Abuja through an application for discontinuance filled by the Director of Public Prosecution of the Federation (DPPF), Mohammed Abubakar, on behalf of the AGF.

According to Abubakar, the discontinuance application was based on provisions of sections 174(1), (b) and (c) of the 1999 Constitution, as amended, and 108 of the Administration of Criminal Justice Act, ACJA, 2015.

The DPPF also applied for further proceedings to be conducted without the presence of the minors in the courtroom, in line with provisions of Section 266(b) of the ACJA, 2015, and Section 1 of the Childs’ Rights Act.

In response, human rights lawyer, Mr. Femi Fanala (SAN), who stood in for the accused as well as other defence lawyers in the matter, did not oppose the applications which promoted the judge, Justice Obiora Egwuatu, to strike out the charges, while the four affected minors were also delisted from the charge sheet.

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