Criminal Court “A” Judge Roosevelt Z. Willie has denied a request by defense lawyers in the Capitol Building arson case for a live televised hearing.
By Lincoln G. Peters
Monrovia, September 5, 2025: Judge Willie gave the ruling on Thursday, September 4, following heated arguments over the defendant’s request that the trial be televised.
The defendants had requested that the trial be televised to allow everyone to witness the case from various locations, thereby enhancing transparency, fairness, public interest, and the overall transparency of the proceedings.
Making the motion, lead legal counsel representing the defendants, Cllr. Arthur Tamba Johnson argued that live coverage would enhance public trust in the judicial process and help counter misinformation and political narratives surrounding the case.
Cllr. Johnson referenced a precedent where live broadcasting was permitted by the Supreme Court in the In Re petition filed by the defendants.
“This case is not just about the individuals on trial; it is about public confidence in the rule of law. In a democracy, especially in matters of public interest, justice must not only be done, but it must be seen to be done,” he stated.
But, countering the defense, prosecution lawyers requested that the court deny and dismiss the motion, arguing that it was filed in bad faith.
Cllr. Richard Scott, one of the prosecutors, stated that recording or broadcasting court proceedings encourages grandstanding by lawyers, distracts witnesses, and disrupts the court’s function. He added that televising trials runs contrary to existing court rules, which prohibit such coverage.
Meanwhile, after listening to both parties’ arguments and reviewing the law citation, Judge Roosevelt Z. Willie denied the defense request and granted the prosecution’s motion, stating that the defense request runs contrary to Rule 11 of the Supreme Court of Liberia.
“This Court will not allow that. The Supreme Court has passed this rule that no case should be televised in Rule 11 of the Supreme Court. I am not going to be the one to say that we should record this case or take a photo in this Courtroom because all of the lawyers know that, and I hope that no one is involved with that because if it were to come up, we will surely investigate. That application is hereby denied, and we shall now proceed to what we are here for today, AND SO ORDERED,” he stated.
At the same time, Judge Willie reserved ruling on the defense motion to suppress the evidence submitted to the court by the prosecution, based on one of the counts within the defense motion alleging that the defendants, while behind bars were sodomized and tortured. He stated that there is a need for further clarity before making a final determination.
The part of the judge’s ruling dates from the last sitting on September 2, 2025, when the defense Team filed a Motion to suppress the evidence presented to them by the Prosecution, and the Prosecution subsequently resisted.
The court further indicated that, after listening to the Parties, it stated that it will make a ruling on the Motion to suppress evidence that was resisted today, Thursday, September 4, 2025.
“When the Court looked at the grounds and the reasons that were stated for which this Court should suppress the discovery or the evidence presented to the Defense, the Court found out that almost all of the grounds were based on law issues, but the Court realized that there is one ground that is factual, and that ground is torture and sodomy,” the court added
Therefore, Judge Willie pointed out that the Court decided not to give the ruling on Thursday, but to find out through medical investigation as to whether the Defendants were tortured and sodomized.
“Therefore, the Court hereby orders the Clerk to do a communication to the John F. Kennedy Medical Center authorizing, meaning through the State, the Monrovia Central Prison to have the six (6) Defendants taken to the John F. Kennedy Medical Center to investigate through Medical Examination to find out as to whether or not those Defendants were tortured and sodomized. Said communication should be written to the Management or handed as is normally done for all Defendants of the Monrovia Central Prison through this Court to examine those Defendants and report to this Court on or before Tuesday, September 9, 2025. Meanwhile, the final ruling in these proceedings will be made on Wednesday, September 10, 2025, at 12:30 pm prompt. AND IT IS HEREBY SO ORDERED,” the court ordered.
Consequently, to which ruling of the court, the Defense Counsel excepts in part as to the JFK to conduct the medical examination of the Defendants, which is a government hospital.
“Counsel requests an independent medical examiner, psychologist, or psychiatrist to medically examine the Defendants with specific regard to the sodomy and the torture of the Defense. And submits.” He noted. -Edited by Othello B. Garblah.
