The Government of Liberia through its Solicitor-General, Sayma Syrenius Cephus announced that the Government was dropping all charges against Mr. Alexander B. Cummings, and others for ‘forgery and criminal conspiracy’ brought against them by the All Liberian Party ( ALP).
In a statement issued on Friday, Solicitor-General Cephus said there was no reason to further adjudicate the case following the Supreme Court’s ruling in favor of the Unity Party and the ALP to field a candidate in the Lofa County Senatorial Bi-Election.
According to the chief prosecutor, he was constrained to drop the charges due to the ruling of the Supreme Court in a case relating to the same contentious clause that the ALP alleged was forged by Mr. Cummings.
The Supreme Court on Friday opined that the contentious Section 8.5 of the Collaborating Political Parties (CPP) Framework Document which bars constituent members who withdraw from fielding candidates in any ensuing election until after 2023 runs contrary to the Articles 17 and 79 of the Constitution.
“The excitement and the willpower to vigorously prosecute the Cummings’ case and ensure that justice, whether “conviction or acquittal” is achieved have strangely fallen on ice. Therefore, I am constrained to highlight the compelling need of calling a spade a spade, end the trial, and drop any and all criminal charges against defendants Alexander B. Cummings and his lieutenants without prejudice to the state and with the right to re-file where applicable,” Cllr. Cephus stated.
The All Liberian Party had alleged that the CPP Framework Document had been altered allegedly by Cummings and that the signatures of its political leaders were forged to support the submission of the alleged altered document to the National Elections Commission (NEC). The allegation gained the support of the Unity Party and a faction of the Liberty Party.
A legal luminary also told a local daily in Monrovia that despite the Supreme Court’s ruling in a separate case that associates that the contentious section of the framework document runs contrary to the Constitution, it still prudent for the prosecution which has publicized that it has overwhelming evidence against Cummings to prove the allegation of tampering
The dismissal of the case also comes just a week after the investigative report by Omnia and Olaco questioned the decision of Liberia’s prosecution system that it would go to court with a case that has no concrete evidence.
Mr. Cummings has consistently said he was being persecuted and there was no evidence in the trial against him that has lasted almost 6 months now.
