Liberia: Dozens Protest In Lofa County Against Brownie Samukai’s Delayed Certification By NEC

Dozens Protest In Lofa County Against Brownie Samukai’s Delayed Certification By NEC

Liberia’s Former Defense Minister, Brownie Samukai
According to report, dozens of Lofa citizens in selected districts including Zorzo, Foya  and Voinjama districts woke up as early as 6am on Thursday morning, July 29, 2021 staged a daylong protest against the delayed certification of Brownie Samukai as Senator-elect by the National Elections Commission (NEC).

According to journalists in the county as a result of the protest, several public offices including the County Superintendent office were locked by the protesters in demand of the immediate certification of Lofa County Senator-elect, Brownie Samukai.

Speaking on a local radio station, OK FM, the Superintendent of the County, s William Tamba Kamba confirmed the locking of his office by the protestors, and further noted that a meeting will be held between his office and the protestors.

Recently the Former Defense Minister Brownie Samukai was left in the cold for his certification as Lofa County Senator-elect when the Presiding Justice in Chambers granted the government of Liberia a petition for the Writ of Prohibition to disallow the National Elections Commission (NEC) to certificate him.

Associate Justice Joseph Nagbe, who ordered the clerk of the court to issue the peremptory writ of prohibition,  has sent a mandate to the NEC disallowing the certification of Samukai  until his disability imposed on him by his conviction is removed according to law.

The government of Liberia, through the Ministry of Justice, filed a writ of prohibition on March 29 to prevent Samukai from being certificated by the NEC.

Samukai, of the opposition Collaborating Political Parties (CPP), received the most votes in the December 8, 2020 senatorial election. Of the 11 candidates who vied for the Lofa County senatorial seat, Samukai received 20, 431 votes, followed by Independent candidate Cllr. Joseph Jallah with 13,968 votes.

Samukai has experienced mixed rulings with the Supreme Court since he won the senatorial seat in Lofa.

On February 24, 2021, the Supreme Court of Liberia ruled in Samukai’s favor in the electoral dispute case filed by three of his rivals, claiming irregularities and fraud in Lofa County District No. 4.

The Supreme Court ruled in favor of Samukai and mandated to the NEC to proceed with the matter.

On February 8, 2021, the Supreme Court upheld a criminal court’s verdict in the corruption case involving Samukai and a former deputy minister and the former Comptroller at the Ministry of Defense.

On March 24, 2020, the Criminal Court “C’’ found Samukai, Joseph F. Johnson and former Deputy Minister for Administration and J. Nyumah Dorkor, former Comptroller of the Ministry of Defense guilty of misappropriating US$1.3 million from the Armed Forces compulsory contributing fund that was deposited at Ecobank Liberia.

Samukai and his lawyers appealed the case. In his ruling, Judge Yamie Gbeisay, said the government did not produce sufficient evidence to convict Samukai and his two deputy ministers of money laundering and economic sabotage.

But the Supreme Court in its decision upholding the lower court’s guilty verdict said all public officials and employees shall obey all lawful instructions issued to them by their supervisors and they shall be held liable and responsible for acts of commission or omission as in the case of the corruption verdict.

The Supreme Court ruled that the sentence will be suspended if the defendants shall restitute the full amount of US$1,147,456.35 or 50% thereof within the period of six months and plan with the court to pay the remaining portion in one year.

Failure to pay will result in the defendants’ incarceration in the common jail and there in until the full amount is paid or liquidated at the rate of 25 USD per month as provided by law, the Supreme Court ruled.

Lofa County under-represented at the Senate

It has been more than six months since NEC announced Samukai as winner of the December 8, 2021 elections. But the county has been under-represented by Samukai’s absence in the Senate, which continues to raise concerns in the country. A group of Lofa Concern Citizens in the Diasporas believes the decision by the government through the Supreme Court to deny Samukai of his seat at the Liberian Senate is yet another political ploy.

In the views of J. Patrick Flomo and Dr. Sakui Malakpa, two elite members of the group, said the prolonged delay in the certification of Samukai is a gross violation of the constitutional rights of the people of Lofa County.

Pushing further argument, the group said it is the responsibility of the government to certify anyone who wants to contest for any public office, according to the constitution, wondering why the government didn’t bar Samukai from contesting