Solicitor General of Liberia, Sayma Syrenius Cephus has written a commentary called ‘Why I Always Stand On The Side Of History’

Here is the full commentary below:

I come from a very poor but noble family in southeastern Liberia. My grandfather was a chief but he died 30 years before I was born. I hail from Tienpo, a sub-Grebo tribe of southeastern Liberia, known for their bravely and valor; they never waiver and never quit, and being the son of a Tienpo tribal Chief, standing alone on the side of history seems a very great part of my life; and in most instances, I am living a true Tienpo life of bravery, courage and honor. As always, which is now obvious in the Alexander B. Cummings’ case, those who infrequently despise me, or taunt and badmouth me always turn out to appreciate me. In earnest, I am a winner and so I am very much proud of my records! I recall tongue-lashing publicly a certain of our compatriot, who, at the height of his career was accused of defaming and condemning the Liberian judiciary, allegedly claiming that any judgment therefrom should be treated as not credible and independent, but many years on, found himself being exonerated by the very judiciary of all criminal charges. I couldn’t help but wonder in what context the world should read the content of his acquittal verdict from a judiciary that was not credible, and whose judgment could not be considered independent, is a question that only he alone can answer. I was on the side of history when I red-flagged that such vile attack on the Liberian judiciary was unjustified, and those who condemned me for speaking out the truth, today, know exactly where we are. Speaking and defending the truth is part of my life.

The Charles Julu’s Treason case

In 2007, while still an Attorney-At-Law, I was very much part of the legal team that defended the late General Charles Julu in the fake and orchestrated treason case then hatched by President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf and her cronies, trying to reintroduce the ethnic politics of divisions, lies and terror to enforce nonresistance to her rule. Ellen accused general Julu and others of abusing her while she was in prison in the late 1980s when General Julu and others were in charge of the dreadful Post Stockade at the Barclay training Center (BTC) and therefore wanted to pay back, now that she was President of the Republic. I rejected all of the arsine slanders and calumnies and the rearing claws of a “political demagogue” that was using the gullibility of the public to sow seeds of divisions under the pretext that Charles Julu and the Krahn people were plotting to overthrow her government. For being part of the legal team, my vehicle was stolen from the Supreme Court yard in February 2007 by Ellen’s NSA agents and scrapped. I came out of the court with my hands on my head, but at the end of everything, we won the case, and Charles Julue and Wollo Nagbe were acquitted and set free. Those who stole my vehicle and scrapped it must now realize that many years after the incident, their names have been revealed to me but my solemn faith in God, Almighty, says vengeance is God’s not mine! See the case: RL v. Charles Jule and Wolo Nagbe(2007)

The Article 52 (c ) case

Again in 2011, by my faith in God, I took on the Ellen Johnson Sirleaf government in case: MPC v. NEC in a petition for a writ of prohibition which had to do with the constitutional interpretation of Article 52(c ) of the 1986 Constitution. At that time, Ellen was not only feared and respected but she falsely wore her political spectacle as a leader who was “absolutely invincible”—a parody of an imperial presidency and she prowled the corridors of power as a ‘godlike’ political maestro. Ellen became the law and gospel and she and her sons and cronies could be seen running amok everywhere and controlling all of the narratives.

However, I saw the frailties and cowardly trek of a regime that desperately masked out its impotencies and falsely decorated itself as a government of the people notwithstanding the past rebel lifestyle of its matriarch, Ellen Johnson Sirleaf. When I filed the petition for a writ of prohibition to stop Ellen running for the presidency in 2011, 26 seasoned lawyers showed up on the side of the regime, and at the helm of the defense team of Ellen was the venerable Varney Sherman, then Chairman of the former ruling Unity Party(UP).

I was totally unperturbed by their number which was 26- 1 but I was frightened by their antics and the blatant attempt by the lawyer from the Unity Party to suggest, although with much struggle, that the interpretation of Article 52(c ) of the 1986 Constitution meant “accumulative” rather than “consecutive” which was my argument. Truly, the Supreme Court of Liberia ruled and agreed with me that the ten years residency clause of Article 52 (c ) instructs that anyone vying for the presidency of Liberian must reside in Liberia ten consecutive years immediately prior to elections.

This is a victory that will live on for many years and is now used and read by students of constitutional law in the Louis Arthur Grimes School of Law University of Liberia. See the case: MPC v. NEC(2011).

The 2014 Elections Case:

Furthermore, in 2014, the National Elections Commission (NEC) decided to unilaterally change the date of the midterm elections by announcing a new date because of the Ebola pandemic.

I challenged the National Elections Commission that it could not be both the referee of the elections and then at the same time the player or sole authority to determine when elections should be held. Agents of the NSA who were sons and daughters, nephews and grandchildren of Ellen Johnson Sirleaf concocted lies and claims that my challenge to the NEC’s decision through a petition for a writ of prohibition was against ‘national security’ and therefore treasonable.

I am told that significant state resources were spent to draw up and indictment and arrest me while arguing before the Supreme Court and then take me to jail. And so a formal writ of arrest for treason was prepared by Ellen Johnson Sirleaf Justice Ministry against Cllr. Edwin Kla Martin, a man of immense vision and wisdom and myself and given to court officials to be served and to have us arrested while leaving court.

Thank God that will the will of the people is being jeopardized by insane forces, there’s always the vigilant amongst the people that must determine the definite course of action. And so when the issue of the petition undermining “national security” was raised by the late Cllr. Thoephilus Gould before the Supreme Court, former Associate Justice Philip A.Z. Banks, III openly rebuked and debunked the allegations as grossly shameful and without any legal basis.

We were spelled the hell of arrest! Cllr. Martin and I argued that the power and authority to determine a new date for elections should not be given to the NEC but rather to a separate and independent body with a constitutional regulatory power to make such decision. The Supreme Court of Liberia agreed with us and this is why the decision to determine a new date of elections is now in the hands of the National Legislature. Read the case: JUPIC v. NEC(2014). Again, because I was on the side of history, I survived!

The Cummings Case

In the Alexander B. Cummings, I am standing on the side of history and because of this; I am learning a lot of new things. I have seen all of the shenanigans, the double-dealings, barefaced lies, and political blusters.

Whatever the case, I am not only baffled but sadly ruffled by the scale of lies and the misinformation being spread about the alleged political superiorities of some of their political leaders and their connections here, followed by their brazen attempts to force me to cow with the aids of bull weevils, carpetbaggers and bootlickers in the system trying to wreck the trial in exchange of whatever is being offered.

I have seen the theatrics, the emotional flare ups in court and the crestfallen faces of the defendants as their lawyers tried but in vain to defend the grossly indefensible about a photocopy CPP framework document being filed.

I am told some political leaders are favored by the ‘international community’ above others and that their presidency is a foregone conclusion. I don’t know what that means but in their make-believe views, take it or leave it their “political leader” will win! On the other hand there are those within the system who support them and because of this they are singing their tone by saying: “bring the evidence or where is the evidence?” Such noise to me is more of a public nuisance than any realistic demand judging from the unorthodox manner in which it is being made.

Of course, there’s evidence and it should be and is being produced only in court! Sadly, I am only a prosecutor doing my job and I feel greatly emboldened by the quantum of evidence available as well as the quality of witnesses being summoned to acquire nothing less than a conviction verdict, which of course, by prosecutorial standard is not necessarily a condition precedent in measuring justice, because acquittal is also justice. With the former constitutional Vice President Joseph Nyumah Boakai just completing the witness queue, and Benoni Urey, Nyonblee Karnga-Lawrence, Mo Ali and others eagerly lining up to speak the truth, what else do I need to say to shame those who joined our detractors in saying that I was on a “fishing expedition” and therefore I should be publicly tried?

So, if I am on a “fishing expedition” and do not have evidence to proceed, are we saying that the information that former Vice President has provided under oath is “fishing expedition” too? The Tienpo people stood on the side of history and joined Jua Nimely and the people of Sass Town and fought against taxation without representation from 1918 to 1925. I relish their courage and describe them as a true faithful league in the footsteps of the valor of Elijah Johnson and others who in 1849 resisted the rebellious and military rampart of the British from hoisting their flag on Liberia soil.

173 years on, my work as a citizen of this sovereign and independent Republic and Chief Prosecutor is being reviewed and condemned by those to whom the truth and the independence of Liberia has no real meaning. I wonder what others would have said about Elijah Johnson and the people of Sass Town today.

Were they rebels or G-2 agents? I have been threatened with punitive sanctions if I do not drop the case, yet, I remain steadfast, calm and most times I laugh off this sort of nuisance. I couldn’t agree with former Lone Star most celebrated player James Salinsa Debar when he once said: “Liberians can complain where they fall but not where they stumbled.”

Nobody should blame the Republic of Liberia for whatever happened in the CPP or with the CPP but the CPP leaders themselves. And for this reason, sanctions or no sanctions, trust me, the Cummings trial will go on and I will not be distracted or deterred by the unruly and rowdy demands to drop the case in the face of the compelling evidence until justice is served. Again, as always, let’s history be my judge!

Courtesy of Spoon TV live