Africa-Press – Liberia. Prosecution lawyers have expressed suspicion over a sudden shift in Codefendant Malam Conte’s plan to carry out gold business in Liberia to frozen food following his arrival, as they cross-examine him in a US$100 million drugs case.
During cross-examination by the prosecution, it was recounted that the defense witness did not come from Guinea Bissau to buy frozen food, but rather to do gold business. The prosecution questioned why witness Conte swapped to taking delivery of a particular container of narcotics or cocaine.
However, Conte, who was baffled by the issue raised by the prosecution on the conflict surrounding his arrival in Liberia, noted: “At the time the state lawyer or prosecutor confirmed my statement, I don’t know why the state prosecution is trying to change my statement.”
He nevertheless noted that his intention of coming to Liberia was different from what is being assumed by the prosecution and that the US$200,000 (two hundred thousand US dollars) was designated to pay for seven containers, not for a single container that had narcotics in it.
According to him, one Gustavo, who is his business partner from Brazil, had requested him to buy a container of frozen food to assist the campaign of a friend in government, whose name he failed to disclose, while he was still awaiting Gustavo to continue business.
Conte, who informed the court that he cannot speak and read English, further said he saw a receipt of the goods he went to pay for from a distance, but he understood that the receipt was never signed by TRH Management.
“I saw the receipt at a distance, and I didn’t hold it. The same manager of the company, when he held the receipt, showed me the receipt that it was my receipt, but I was at a distance from him. The only thing he should have done was to sign and give it to me. But this never happened, and he never gave me that receipt. All my statement here in the court can be confirmed by the CCTV in the office,” Conte explained.
He also stated that the government official was never seen up to the time of his arrest.Conte further told the court that even though Gustavo had given him US$200,000 to pay for seven containers, he did not, however, know the price of each container of frozen food.
He clarified that Issam Makki, one of the defendants in the ongoing proceeding, was the one who negotiated with the entity and was at the place for the payment.
In what seemed to be a volatile tone, Conte refuted prosecution lawyers’ inquiry about him going to the TRH Compound to track a particular container that contained a substance which he allegedly had knowledge had been placed in a particular container brought into Liberia by TRH.
Conte said since he could not speak English, he was unable to interact with any staff at TRH. However, upon his arrival at the office, they had already had some information that someone was taken money there.
He, on the other hand, denied claims by state prosecutors that the container was open in his presence after a total of US$200,000 was allegedly offered to purchase a container in which the state is inferring that Gustavo had arranged drugs.
Defendant Conte, Adulai Djibri Djalo, Makki Admeh Issam, Oliver A. Zazay, and others are being prosecuted by the government at Criminal Court “C” at the Temple of Justice on allegations of money laundering, unlicensed possession, and importation of controlled substances, as well as criminal conspiracy.
During his appearance on Thursday, April 20, the defense witness accused state security of illegally taking away his phone and inserting incriminating images in it. He mentioned that his phone had no password when it was brought to court, and had been changed to English from Portuguese. The witness is concerned about the language switch, as he cannot speak or read English. This marks the fifth day since Co-Defendant Malam Conte took the witness stand at Criminal Court C to defend allegations of drug trafficking, money laundering, and other charges levied against him by the government.
In another development, on Wednesday, April 19, Criminal Court “C” granted the defense counsel’s request to issue a Writ of Subpoena Decu Tecum on the Management of the National Port Authority and APM Terminals, as well as a Writ of Subpoena Ad-Testificadum on several other potential witnesses listed, including James Hinneh of the Custom Brokers Union, Mr. Othello Garblah of the New Dawn Newspaper, the Management of the Financial Intelligence Unit, and the authority of the Anti-Smuggling Unit of the Custom Service of Liberia, so that they can appear and testify in favor of the defendants. The court has yet to decide on a date for the appearance of the named individuals.
The NPA and others are cited to explain whether the container was checked before leaving the port. The decision to ascertain this is a result of a publication made in the New Dawn Newspaper, for which the newspaper and Mr. Hinneh were also ordered to appear. Accordingly, the New Dawn reported information quoting Mr. Hinneh, who said that the port had given TRH a special treatment, and that their consignment could not be checked. TRH is the company responsible for bringing in the container at the center of the alleged US$100M drug case in Liberia.
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