An appeal has been made to through the Foreign Ministry for the United States Embassy near Monrovia to aid Criminal court “C” with Portuguese and Arabic translators in order to continue with the trial of two foreigners.
Judge Blamo Dixon of Criminal Court ‘C’ has been forced to adjourn a US$100 million drug trafficking case after the Ministry of Foreign Affairs failed to secure translators for two of the defendants.
Dixon’s decision came after the ministry informed the court of its inability to secure translators for co-defendants Malam Conte, and Makki Admeh Issam.
Conte is a Guinea-Bissau national who is fluent in Arabic while Issam is Portuguese.
They, along with two others are linked to the US$100 million cocaine bust in October 2022, and were subsequently indicted by the Grand Jury of Montserrado County on charges including money laundering, as well as unlicensed possession and importation of controlled drugs, and criminal conspiracy.
However, the trial cannot easily take place in the absence of translators for Conte and Issam. Articles 20 and 21 of the 1986 Constitution provide them “deeply and firmly rooted” rights to have translators in order to alleviate communication barriers in ensuring free and fair trial .
In a letter to the court, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs disclosed that their attempt to secure translators for Conte and Issam was unsuccessful due to Portugal and Guinea Bissau not having embassies in Liberia.
The ministry however assured Dixon that they intend to communicate with the US Embassy, to secure the services of translators.
Dixon was then forced to adjourn the case to February 27, as the ministry announced plans to communicate with the US Embassy, to secure the services of translators.
The case stems from the US$100 million cocaine bust on October 1, 2022, in which one Oliver Zayzay, a Liberian national, and some of his foreign associates were arrested after seeking to purchase what appeared to be a shipping container full of fresh frozen pig feet from a refrigerated storage facility in Monrovia.
Investigation suggests that suspect Conte was asked by his international business partners to follow the consignment and ensure it reaches the final destination. he however decline to state whether Liberia is the final destination of the product.
Police preliminary investigation also established that suspect Malam arrived in the country with two other accomplices who checked in at the Royal Grand Hotel. They later moved over to the Boulevard Palace Hotel where the LDEA was able to pick up additional information leading towards their syndicate.
LDEA told local media that suspects Gustavo Henrique, a Brazilian and Adulai Djibril a Portuguese who both accompanied Malam were not in their hotel room at the time the LDEA and NSA agents arrived.
Suspect Malam is currently under the LDEA custody undergoing full scale investigation, while suspects Gustavo Henrique and Adulai Djibril are at large.
Second largest seizure
The cocaine was the second largest narcotics arrest in recent history of Liberia after a 92 barrels cocaine was arrested on Liberian water in 2008 with a street value at €500 million or US$ 600million at the time.
The 2.5 tones was on the ship, the Blue Atlantic, was spotted on the high seas by a French military vessel, which intercepted and towed it to the port.
In 2010,Liberia deported seven people to the US after they were arrested for allegedly trying to ship 4,000kg of cocaine in the country.
The suspects are accused of trying to bribe top Liberian officials to protect large cocaine shipments since 2007.
