Judge Gives LEC Chairman 24-hour Ultimatum to Retract Statement Made on Local Radio

MONROVIA – Judge Blamo Dixon of Criminal court “C” at the Temple of Justice has given the chairman of the Board of Directors of the Liberia Electricity Corporation (LEC), Monie Captan a 24-hour ultimatum to retract his statement made on a local radio station in Monrovia. 

Speaking at the closing of the February A.D term of Court at Criminal Court “C”, Judge Dixon accused the board director of LEC and former foreign Minister Captan of making demeaning statement against his personality.

“I am saying this for all to hear it. Anyone who is closer to Mr. Monie Captan, Chairman of the LEC should tell him to retract those negative comments that he made on OK FM,” he warned.

“I give him 24 hours ultimatum to proceed to OK FM and retract those negative comments. It will interest you to know that Mr. Captan is a former Minister of Foreign Affairs in Liberia.”

 While accusing Mr. Captan, Judge Dixon failed to state the negative comment made against his person. According to him, a source had informed him that Mr. Captan, speaking on OK FM in Monrovia made comments pertaining to a case that he had rendered judgement on long ago, involving the company and a man identified as Victor Yuoh.

” I didn’t listen to him directly when he made those statements. But, someone told me after he made those negative comments and the defendant Victor, also went to OK FM and clarified and rebutted what Mr. Captan said,” Judge Dixon explained.

He furthered: “Under the law, when you are working for a company and they accused you of criminal offense, it should be investigated and after the entire investigation and you proceed to court, you will have to provide witness and go back to the company,” Judge Dixon said. 

Judge Dixon noted that Mr. Captan does not want to meet Victor who was accused of power theft, but instead has appeared on the radio to provide negative comments which he said could affect him and the company. 

“He doesn’t know the magnitude and effect of those negative comments he made. However, anyone who is closer to him should please tell him to retract his statement or will find issues with me” Judge Dixon cautioned.

Judge Dixon, in open court narrated that the case Captan had explained on the radio happened sometimes ago concerning a  Power Theft case against involving the amount of US$350, 00 against Victor Yuoh where he presided over from the beginning and released the defendant on bond. 

“Because of the amount involved in the case, he could not raise a bond but the bond he raised, was signed by me so I freed him and told him to come back, he refused so I charged him with Bill Jumping and I put him in jail again and I went out of town for two years” Judge Dixon explained.

According to him, the defendant pleaded not guilty but demanded jurors’ trial. By then, the Supreme Court had suspended jurors’ trial because of the COVID-19 so he had to wait until the COVID-19 subsided. 

Judge Dixon noted that when the COVID-19 subsided, the Supreme Court ordered them to reinstate juror trial but it executed juror secutration. 

“The case was brought before the jurors after Victor Yuoh stayed in jail for two years for alleged Power Theft involving an amount of US$350,000,” he noted. 

He stated that when he came back, he resumed the case and while in the case, the jurors came down with a non-guilty verdict in favor of the defendant because they felt that there was no magnitude in the case to keep the defendant in prison. 

“The amount US$350,000 could not be established by LEC. The amount was speculative and it was also guessed by LEC and they could not provide evidence to prove the amount,” he concluded.

Judge Dixon said it is unfortunate that Mr. Captan could go on the radio and explain about a case that was duly tried in court; where jurors found the defendant not guilty based on insufficient evidence by his accuser.

Meanwhile, the Judge has warned that legal action will be taken if LEC Board chairman doesn’t retract his acclaimed statement 

Knewsonline, at the time of the publication, was unable to contact Mr. Monie Captan for response to this allegation made against him by the resident Judge of criminal court “C.”