Liberia’s Information Minister Lenn Eugene Nagbe has revealed that the Government submitted a diplomatic note to Sierra Leone cataloguing several felonious violations of laws by Henry Costa and requested for his extradition to Liberia to face the law.
In an interview with Journalists Wednesday, Nagbe said the extradition request for Costa to come to face the law is not about politics but about violation of the rule of law in Liberia.
According to Nagbe, Costa has violated Liberian laws ranging from insurrection in several ways to the violation of the Liberian penal code, including fraudulently acquiring the country’s travel documents.
He indicated that the Government is “very concerned” about Costa fraudulently acquiring Liberian travel documents because, according to him, the country has a history where its travel documents have been used in the past for nefarious activities.
“So we are not just concerned about this particular incident, but about all the violations of the laws that Mr. Costa has committed and we are available for this to be discussed in open court,” Minister
Nagbe said.
“It is not about the accusations which are frivolous that Mr. Costa continues to make against the government,” he pointed out.
According to Nagbe, the Liberian Government has remained transparent and has always followed the rule of law.
“The record of Mr. President is that he has never used his power as president to violate the rights of any Liberian citizen. There is not a single political prisoner in Liberian jails and we have a vibrant
press,” Nagbe said.
He added: “Since Mr. Weah became president there has been several protests, several agitations. The opposition is active. Mr. Costa who is the de facto leader of the opposition has led several protests and he has never been arrested in Liberia.”
However, the Liberian Information Minister pointed out that when a public figure chooses to abuse and violate the country’s law, the government is under obligation to bring said individual to book.
Talk show host Henry Costa, who has been undergoing investigation for immigration fraud was arrested in Sierra Leone late Tuesday while trying to board a flight at the Lungi International airport following his escape from Liberia.
A few days earlier, he went to the Roberts International Airport in Liberia, checked in for an international flight, but later cancelled his travel and asked that his luggage be deplaned.
He was later found to be in possession of a fake travel document and then held by the Liberia Immigration Service before his lawyer took possession of him to report daily for interrogation.
It was in the process of the probe that Costa absconded the country.
TSS/abj/APA