–Threatens Mass Protest
The former Associate Justice of the Supreme Court, Cllr. Kabineh Mohammed Ja’neh, is threatening to organize a mass protest over the disappearance of his client, Ibrahima Khalil Cherif, whom he alleged was kidnapped by the Inspector General of the Liberia National Police (LNP), Gregory Coleman, and the Solicitor General of the Republic, Augustine C. Fayiah.
Charif’s house was raided in early October 2024, at which time he was arrested and incarcerated at the Monrovia Central Prison, and his money and two vehicles seized by a joint team of officers of the Liberia National Police (LNP) and the National Security Agency (NSA) for allegedly recruiting ex-combatants in a bid to oust the junta government in Guinea.
He was charged by the police for mercenaryism, armed insurrection, criminal conspiracy, criminal solicitation and para-military activities.
However, lawyers representing Cherif (defendant) filed a criminal appearance bond, upon which the Judge of Criminal Court “A”, Roosevelt Z. Willie, relied on to order his release from further detention on October 8, 2024 and request that his living body be brought before the court.
After the court heard the matter, the County Attorney of Montserrado, Cllr. Richard J. Scott, Jr., on behalf of the Ministry of Justice, entered nolle prosequi in favor of defendant Cherif, but with a reservation to re-file when the need arise.
The court then issued a mandate to the Liberia National Police (LNP) and the Monrovia Central Prison to have Cherif released and turned over to the court.
However, Cllr. Ja’neh has accused the police IG of subverting the court’s order and refusing to release Cherif to the court, and that on November 3, 2024, between 3:00 a.m. and 4:00 a.m. the police IG allegedly made his way to the Monrovia Central Prison, without any reference to the court, brutalized Cherif, and later turned him over to the Guinean military junta.
Cllr. Ja’neh, who claims to be one of Cherif’s lawyer, said, in spite of the Liberian government accusing Cherif of being a Guinean, his client was born on Crown Hill, Monrovia, unto two Liberian Mandingo parents. According to him, Cherif’s grandfather was Imam Alhaji Mata-Saykou Sheriff of blessed memory, who was one of the most respected Imams of the 50s and 60s of the Benson Street mosque, noting that Imam Sheriff’s funeral was attended here in Monrovia by President William V. S. Tubman to honor his inestimable contributions to nation building.
But in contrast to Cllr. Ja’neh’s statement, the government has released the Guinean passport of defendant Cherif, and informed the public that he has been turned over to the Guinean government.
According to government sources, Cherif was arrested by the government when he escaped to Liberia for safety after being accused by the authorities of Guinea of trying to overthrow a sitting government. The government’s sources said Cherif’s arrest follows an accusation by Guinea authority that his presence in Liberia raised a security concern, alleging that the Liberian government is allegedly trying to back him to carry out subversive activities in neighboring Guinea; as such, he was turned over in order to restore bilateral ties between the two sisterly countries.
But Cllr. Ja’neh has refuted the government’s claim, and noted, “Although my client, Mr. Khalifa Charif, spent most of his early childhood life in the Republic of Guinea due largely to the Liberian civil conflict, that does not make him a Guinean national, as is being falsely circulated by Liberian state security officials.
“The illegal removal of Mr. Charif from Monrovia Central Prison was ordered by senior National Security Actors of the Boakai government. This act is a concrete demonstration of lawlessness and total disregard for the law under the Boakai administration.
“I, Cllr. Kabineh Ja’neh, will ensure that Mr. Charif is released as ordered by the court without any further delay. I will personally organize public demonstrations against National Security officers as I am now convinced that there is no longer any respect for court’s orders under the current administration.
“Accordingly, the demonstrations against police officers will continue until the court’s orders releasing Mr. Charif, are fully complied with,” Cllr. Ja’neh threatened.