By Jacqueline L. Dennis
Criminal “C” Judge Joe S. Barkon at the Temple of Justice in Monrovia, has ruled on 11 defendants’ separate criminal appearance bonds posted by the defendants in an alleged theft case involving several former government officials.
Defendants Mary Broh, former Foreign Minister Dee-Maxwell Saah Kemayah and others were indicted by the Special Grand Jury for Montserrado County through the Ministry of Justice and the Assets Recovery for the alleged crime of Theft of Property, Economic Sabotage, Mismanagement of Public Fund, Property or Record, Theft, and Illegal disbursement of public expenditure.
Judge Barkon, ruled Thursday that the Sky International Insurance Company’s bond filed by some of the defendants, is ordered denied and set aside, and the matter shall be proceeded with following an investigation of the bond within 10 days.
Judge Barkon, ordered the clerk of Court to communicate with the management of Sky International Insurance Company ordering it to submit to the Court within 10 days as of the date of receipt a full status report on all bonds in which it is the surety, both in Criminal and Civil cases, and the status of those cases.
The defendants’ bond was filed by the Sky International Insurance Company in the
amount of US$851,900. Those defendants covered by the bond are Henry O. Williams, Augustine Kollie, Archievego M. Doe, Rosetta L. Gbassay Bowah, Evelyn Gbee, and Memie Davis.
According to him, the prosecution challenged the financial capacity of the bond, and it was discovered that the Sky International insurance Company has a total asset balance of US$1,271,569 as of December 31, 2024.
Unfortunately, according to the clerk’s certificate from Criminal Court A, it was established that the Sky International Insurance Company had posted bond in the amount of US$11,491,864 which is far above the current financial position of the company, which caught the attention of Judge Joe S. Barkon, who has ordered an immediate investigation into the matter.
Additionally, Judge Barkon, said the Criminal Appearance Bond filed by Co-Movants Mary Broh, Dee-Maxwell Saah Kemayah, Thelma Sawyer, Idris Bility, and Momolu Johnson, reflects that their Surety, the American Underwriter Group, Inc. provided the appropriate legal instruments in compliance with the requirements set by the Supreme Court of Liberia to qualify, especially an Insurance Company as surety in posting a bond for a defendant or group of Defendants
“This Court says that the records in the case file reveal that when the defendants were indicted and subsequently arrested, incarcerated at the Monrovia Central Prison between the period June 26 and July 4, 2025, they were released to their respective human Sureties consistent with Chapter 13, Section 13.5 of the Criminal Procedure Law of Liberia. He said the record of the Court further reflects that the defendants were all in compliance with the Court’s Order, and they respectfully filed their respective Criminal Appearance Bonds from two separate Insurance Sureties, which include the Sky International Insurance Company of Liberia and the American Underwriter Group.
