TEMPLE OF JUSTICE, Monrovia, November 4, 2026: Criminal Court “E” at the Temple of Justice has sentenced former National Security Agency (NSA) Special Assistant Peter Bon Jallah to 50 years in prison following his conviction for the statutory rape of a 16-year-old boy.
Presiding Judge Wesseh Alphonsus Wesseh Sr. handed down the sentence on Tuesday, November 3, after rejecting the defense’s motion for a new trial and overturning Jallah’s earlier kidnapping conviction on jurisdictional grounds.
The 63-year-old former NSA official was found guilty of statutory rape and kidnapping on October 23, 2026, following months of trial. However, the court acquitted him of gang rape.
In a ruling delivered Monday, November 2, Judge Wesseh quashed the kidnapping conviction, citing a jurisdictional error in the handling of the charge.
The judge explained that the decision had the same legal effect as an acquittal but did not prevent prosecutors from refiling the kidnapping charge before a court with proper jurisdiction.
He also denied the defense’s motion for a new trial, ruling that it failed to satisfy the legal requirements for reopening a case tried without a jury.
Following Tuesday’s sentencing, defense lawyer Cllr. Wilfred Sayeh announced plans to appeal the conviction and 50-year prison sentence to the Supreme Court of Liberia.
During the trial, prosecutors presented 12 witnesses, including the victim, police investigators, medical personnel and Rwandan forensic examiner Pascal Bavugirije.
The prosecution relied partly on DNA evidence linking Jallah’s genetic profile to biological material recovered from four clothing exhibits.
However, the forensic examiner acknowledged that the findings could not establish when or how the biological material was deposited.
Jallah, who was arrested in January 2026 following a complaint filed by the boy’s mother, pleaded not guilty to all charges.
His lawyers challenged the prosecution’s evidence, pointing to alleged inconsistencies in the victim’s account and limitations in the medical and forensic findings.
Despite those arguments, the court found sufficient grounds to convict Jallah of statutory rape.
The case, which has attracted public attention because of the defendant’s former position at the NSA and the involvement of a minor, is now expected to move to the Supreme Court for appellate review.
The planned appeal will challenge both the conviction and the 50-year prison sentence imposed by Criminal Court “E”. –Editing by The New Dawn
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