Finda Bundoo Remanded at Monrovia Central Prison after Arrest Order in Over US$6.9M Criminal Trial
W. Roland James
Monrovia, Liberia: Former Chief of Protocol to Ex-President George Weah, Nora Finda Bundoo, has been taken into custody at the Monrovia Central Prison after Criminal Court 'C' order her arrest on Tuesday following the disqualification of her second surety bond filed in the ongoing criminal trial versus the Assets Recovery and Property Retrieval Taskforce.
Bundoo signed her writ of arrest and surrendered herself to court sheriffs, and was immediately placed under custody, which she will now spend her first night behind bars at the Monrovia Central Prison, widely known as "South Beach".
The Assets Recovery and Property Retrieval Taskforce had issued criminal charges against Bundoo and others, ranging from Money Laundering, Theft of Property, Criminal Facilitation, Criminal Conspiracy, Forgery, and Misuse of Public Funds, amounting to US$6.9 million and LD$87.38 million.
Prosecutors argued that the amount intended for public use was misapplied by Nora Finda Bundoo, then in her role as Chief of Protocol to Ex-President President George Weah, along with other indictees, for personal use.
That ignited motion by prosecutors for the arrest of Bundoo while proceedings continue in the matter. The former Chief of Protocol and her legal team filed an initial surety bond, which was denied for failing to meet legal requirements lay down in the procedures of the trial and the charges' valuation.
Following that, Bundoo and her team striked a second bond, which again suffered legal setback. The bond was said to be in the tone of a little over Five Hundred Thousand United States Dollars million, something the court declared insufficient to the US$8 million threshold bond.
According to the handed down by presiding Judge Ousman Feika, Bundoo will remain under custody until a satisfy bond can be filled to guarantee her release. However, proceedings in the case will continue before Criminal Court 'C' as defense and prosecutors weigh in their arguments to determine the fate of the criminal trial.
Details are still emerging in this case...
