Lawyers of the Indian national, Manoj Kumar, are seeking for retrial in to the case involving Kumar and the Ministry of Justice through the Liberia Immigration Service (LIS).
The Government of Liberia (GOL) through the Ministry of Justice recently declared Manoj Kumar an undesirable alien and threat to national security. The document in the possession of the Hot Pepper shows multiple names on his travelling documents. Based on this, the Liberia Immigration Service declared him a threat to the country.
Judge Peabody of the Civil Law Court denied Kumar re-entry into the country in September 2021 after he traveled to India and was coming back to Liberia. The Indian has stayed in Liberia for over 20 years.
The lawyers of Kumar, Atty. Alphanso Woiwor, Atty. Labels B. Walker and Cllr. Laveli Supuwood have argued that the act against Kumar was totally a complete violation of his rights.
The lawyers quoted section 21 (g) of the Constitution of Liberia that say a person accused of committing a crime shall have the right to public, speedy and impartial trial. In order to maintain such fundamental right, according to the lawyers, said person should be allowed entry into the country where he is alleged to have committed the crime.
The lawyers said that it will be utterly unfair and uncivilized to charge a person for committing the crime of forgery without allowing him hearing to defend himself. In the absence of any of the wrong, the lawyers said, it will be unfair to throw the man away as a criminal from a country where he has spent twenty one (21) years as a peaceful resident.
Kumar was in September 2021 denied entry into Liberia by the Immigration Service of Liberia for committing forgery. According to the LIS, Kumar was using multiple names and, therefore, should not be allowed to enter Liberia. The Ministry of Justice and LIS said Kumar’s presence in Liberia was a security threat.
Though Judge Peabody has ruled against Kumar entering into Liberia, the lawyers of the Indian have vowed to take an appeal to the Supreme Court of Liberia. The lawyers said that the rights of the Indian need to be respected and the opportunity given him to defend himself for the alleged crime.