Felony Court docket ‘D’ in Monrovia is ready to ship judgment this week in Liberia’s first piracy trial, involving two Nigerian nationals accused of hijacking a cargo vessel within the Gulf of Guinea.
In response to court docket data, the defendants had been arrested earlier this 12 months after a Liberia-flagged ship was seized by armed males whereas transporting items via worldwide waters. The crew despatched a misery sign, prompting worldwide maritime forces to intervene. The suspects had been subsequently transferred to Liberian authorities underneath international maritime cooperation protocols.
In response to Liberia’s information platform, Entrance Web page Africa, the case has attracted consideration as a result of Liberia maintains one of many world’s largest open ship registries, but prosecutions for piracy inside its home courts haven’t beforehand occurred. Beneath worldwide legislation, Liberia holds jurisdiction over crimes involving ships registered underneath its flag.
On Monday, proceedings took a brand new flip when protection lawyer, Cllr. Bestman Juah, knowledgeable the court docket that the defendants had admitted duty for the hijacking and had been requesting a plea-bargain association. State prosecutors didn’t oppose the request, leaving open the potential for lowered sentences in change for full cooperation.
Resident Choose Mameita Jabateh-Sirleaf, who presides over Felony Court docket ‘D’, will rule on whether or not to simply accept the plea deal and decide the sentencing framework. The ruling might additionally deal with deportation measures following imprisonment.
Felony Court docket ‘D’ handles circumstances involving armed theft, terrorism, hijacking, and different severe crimes, and the piracy trial represents a rising development of transnational offenses being prosecuted inside Liberia’s judicial system.
As of press time, the court docket has not introduced the date for sentencing.
