Maryland – County Maryland, newly appointed District Court Judge, Cllr. Geeplah Tiklo Konton wants county law enforcement officers to properly investigate the cases before bringing charges and sending suspects to court.
He says that when cases are properly investigated, prosecutors have a better chance of having enough evidence to proceed quickly with the case, so that if the accused are found guilty, they could be sent to prison.
Jundge Konton emphasizes that the police must properly hear and investigate the facts surrounding a case before continuing to arrest or send suspects to court.
He explained that the courts were established by law to resolve conflicts between people and to restore peace and understanding.
He notes that a speedy and transparent judicial process, as enshrined in Article 21 of the Liberian Constitution, can be perfectly enforced by all justice actors, including the Maryland County Police and other parts of Liberia, if prior to the arrest and the investigation of the cases was carried out properly, subsequently referring the accused to court.
Cllr. Conton was a resident judge in the 3rd District Court in Greenville, Sinoe County, but he was reappointed as a judge in the Fourth District Court in Harper, Maryland.
The Thre Circuit Court presided during the opening of the February AD mandate in Harper, Maryland.
In an interview, he told reporters that the court was publicly open for the speedy and fair administration of justice to the people of Maryland and all of Liberia.
“If proper investigations and more facts are not gathered before suspects are sent to court,” he said, then it becomes more difficult for the prosecutor’s attorney, led by the district attorney and his assistant, to conduct a speedy trial.
He says the prosecution lawyer has lost cases many times due to a lack of sufficient facts and proper evidence established by the initial investigation conducted by law enforcement officers. “
“So law enforcement must properly or appropriately hear cases, either in acquittal or in conviction,” he continued.
Meanwhilke, Cllr Konton revealed that the mandate was opened in February with several cases, including ten (10) criminal cases, four (4) murder cases, seventeen (17) civil cases and one (1) rape case.