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Monrovia — Members of the House of Representatives failed to attend a scheduled Supreme Court hearing regarding their alleged wrongful involvement in the criminal investigation of Chinese national, Michael Shio.
The lawmakers were expected to appear before Associate Justice Cianna Clinton-Johnson, the current Chamber Justice at the Supreme Court, to provide constitutional justification for their actions in the investigation of a criminal case currently pending before Judge Roosevelt Z. Willie of Criminal Court “A,” awaiting indictment.
By Victoria G. Wesseh, [email protected]
However, the lawmakers neither appeared nor provided an excuse for their absence.
In response, Justice Clinton-Johnson rescheduled the hearing and instructed that a communication be sent to Speaker Richard Koon, citing the lawmakers for another hearing.
This hearing was part of a broader legal dispute that began when Shio was investigated by the Liberia National Police and charged with multiple offenses, including attempted murder.
Shio had allegedly attempted to kill Liberian citizen Momoh David. Shio denied the accusations when he was first taken before the Monrovia City Court, which lacked jurisdiction over the attempted murder charge and forwarded the matter to Criminal Court “A” for indictment.
While the case was still pending, a group of lawmakers, led by Margibi County District #2 Representative Ivar K. Jones, intervened and summoned Shio for further questioning. Shio rejected this summons, claiming the lawmakers had no legal authority to be involved in the investigation.
Shio’s lawyer, Cllr. Jimmy Bombo, filed for a writ of prohibition, arguing that the lawmakers had no constitutional basis to exercise judicial powers. He contended that their involvement violated the separation of powers doctrine enshrined in the 1986 Constitution, which establishes three separate branches of government: the Legislature, the Executive, and the Judiciary.
According to Article 65 of the Constitution, judicial powers are vested solely in the Judiciary, and no other branch has the authority to exercise such powers.
Cllr. Bombo further emphasized that the letter from the lawmakers citing their intervention in Shio’s case was in violation of established laws, including the doctrine of sub-judice, which prohibits any interference in a pending judicial matter.
The lawyer argued that despite these legal constraints, the lawmakers persisted in summoning Shio to appear before them on March 11, 2025.
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