Monday, June 16, 2008

Journalist Jarkloh’s Fiancée Breaks Silence

…Reacts To Charges Against Spouse
The family of Journalist Bill K. Jarkloh has reacted to series of media report that had insinuated guilt in the Rape/Sodomy charges that was brought against him early May, this year. The fiancée of Mr. Jarkloh, Korpo S. Kortimai told this paper that the charges were derived out of envy by the family of Star Radio reporter Sorbor George for the achievement and strides made by Mr. Jarkloh and his family.
Madam Kortimai said Mr. Jarkloh’s attention is also drawn to the conclusion of the initial report of the FrontPageAfrica online magazine which said that the journalist’s former wife left him because of the same rape, insinuating that it has raped for the second time. This is the Temple of Justice Building where Justice has eyes to see and favor people in Liberia
Korpo Kortimai who is the Assistant Coordinator for Women and Children’s Right at the ZODWOCA Inc., a local right and empowerment NGO operating in Monrovia and Lofa County dismissed the FrontPageAfrica report that it was Journalist Jarkloh’s second time involved in the raping of Minor. She said the Journalist has neither rape nor sodomize for any first or second time as alleged by the FrontPageAfrica.
Ms. Kortimai said it would appear that the FrontPageAfrica and other media institution which willfully chose to defame Mr. Jarkloh did that either out of lack of knowledge and hatred or perhaps did so for pecuniary gains.

Why Former Wife Left Bill?

She explained that the Journalist has in his possession ruling of the Civil Law Court presided over by Judge Yussuf Kaba in a divorce suit filed by Mrs. Munah Kreyoh Jarkloh in which the Court ruled that Mr. Jarkloh was not liable to all of the allegations made against him by his former wife, but added that the court was separating the corpus because the wife insisted on divorce.
Ms. Kortimai argued that if Bill was liable for rape for which the wife left him, how come Munah failed to prove Journalist Jarkloh’s liability. She added, “Bill told me that the former wife engaged in extra marital activities at her place of work thereby injuring their marriage, as a result of which she was ashamed and morally compelled to abandon her fine home.

Ms. Korpo S. Kortimai -
Journalists Jarkloh's fiancee explains her side of the story

On the latest accusation against Journalists Jarkloh, she said “Sorbor George and his conspirators including Janjay, the mother of the charge they had incriminated bill into raping, were fight not against the person of Bill Jarkloh but instead against his destiny which is very fair and bright.”

The Malicious Attempt

Ms. Kortimai, describing as “malicious and calculated attempt to impute blemish of rape/sodomy on my fiancé and to jail him innocently,” insisted on the innocence of her spouse. She said, “8-year-old Love Samuels was given to me by a lady who found her in the street corners so that I will help to restore her as I did to other kids through ZODWOCA in collaboration with the Women and Children Unit of the Liberian National Police and the Safe Home. The allegations are therefore malicious lies concocted to tarnish Bill’s reputation.

Journalist Bill K. Jarkloh: vendicated from rape charges as police investigative report named one Lincoln as the perpetrator of the rape act against little Love Samuels

“Having observed the deplorable condition of the minor, I readily joined Love to her Mother Janjay so that she would be given parent love and care, but Janjay said she could not accept Love Samuels because she was fond of running away from home, but instead, I should take Love to counsel her and make her good if I was able to do so,” Mr. Kortimai explained.
The fiancée of Journalist Jarkloh further explained that it was based upon this that she took little Love and study her for about two weeks after which she was interviewed by ZODWOCA Inc and forwarded to the Police Women and Children Unit, a Unit with started investigation of her state and well-being immediately and subsequently sent her to the “Safe Home” for rehabilitation.

Ms. Kortimai on her way to Spain (at the Roberts International Airport to attend a human rights seminar in Las Palmas.
“Like she told ZODWOCA, little Love told ZODWOCA interview that she was abused by one Lincoln in a Video Club in the Sonniwein Community during a deep of the night. She said she used to sleep in the video club and at that night the Lincoln fellow moved on her when people were asleep in the area.
“Beside, Bill could not have been the one who raped little Love because I have never left Bill and Love in our residence on Perry Street. Bill left home at 8:00AM every morning to work and returned 10:00 because he was also engaged in journalistic activities after his work at the Embassy of Ghana where he serves as Executive Office for Information,” Mr. Kortimai explained.
She further said that she was not leaving little Love at their residence when she too was going to work. “I always took little Love to my aunt’s place and get her from them before we can come home to our residence, and through out this time Bill who usually returned home at night always met every one of us watching movies in our living room,” Mr. Kortimai noted.
She said, “This is why it was unacceptable to Bill and me when Chief Justice Johnny Lewis instructed the City Court Associate Magistrate Moses Wondah M. Sondah to issue a Writ of Arrest on Bill Jarkloh for Rape/Sodomy. It was unacceptable especially because we feed that the attitude of Chief Justice Lewis was not reminiscent of a chief justice of an administration which has been preaching good governance and rule of law, for justice is squandered on the alter of hatred or revenge and injustice when a chief justice who is the final arbiter of justice comes low to make cases against people in the court of first instance without police charge sheet.”

Journalist Bill Jarkloh: On a working tour of duty in the interior of Liberia

Mr. Kortimai said, “Bill and I had noticed a driver of the Chief Justice at Sorbor George’s residence on Perry Street coming to enforce court precept that he George had issued. It was after we went to court to face George’s Criminal Coercion writ and bail ourselves when Chief Justice Lewis came down at the City Court, called Journalists Jarkloh and I into the Magistrate’s chamber where the most senior Supreme Court Justice openly accused Bill of rape/sodomy and instructed the magistrate to issue court without police investigative report and a charge sheet to back the findings and the arrest warrant by the Court.”
“I saw Chief Justice Lewis intimidating prosecutors Samuel Jacobs and Witness Doyen when the latter insisted that state lawyers will only prosecute the Love Samuels matter based on police charge sheet because it was his understanding that the police were investigating the matters,” Ms. Kortimai noted, adding, “the Chief Justice said the police are corrupt, Prosecutor Doyen must stay off the Love Samuels case, and he mandated City Solicitor Sam Theo Solomon to be the only one that he expects to prosecute Bill Jarkloh on the Rape/Sodomy charges.

One case, two arrest warrants

She also explained, “I and Bill had seen Love’s Mother Janjay at the George’s residence since little Love was sent to the Safe Home, and that it was after these strange visits of Janjay to the George family’s residence that she [Janjay] issued a Writ of Arrest against me without any police charge sheet on the same day my fiancé Bill Jarkloh was charged with Rape/Sodomy, alleging that I have kidnapped Love and sent her to unknown destination, at the time she earlier appealed to me at my to prevent police from arresting her on account of child abandonment.
“And so I was surprised. I could not understand why two different arrest warrants were issued by the court without police investigative report or charge sheet against the family of Journalist Bill Jarkloh for little Love, a kid who we were trying to save from further abandonment, street roaming and molestation caused by her mother Janjay.
Ms. Kortimai recalled how Associate Magistrate Sondah refused to approve a valid bail that was filed with his court for the “Kidnapping” allegation brought against her by enemies of Journalists Jarkloh’s family simply because the associate magistrate at the City Court took delight in detaining the Journalist and his spouse.
“Since Bill was detained at the Monrovia Central Prison along with me and I was later released then, Associate Magistrate Sondah many days avoided the case because conducting preliminary hearing would result to dismissing the charges and setting Mr. Jarkloh free, while Evelyna Quaqua at the Criminal Court “B” before whom the State said it has no evidence against Mr. Jarkloh had refused to rule on defense Motion of Admittance of Bill Jarkloh to bail but was instead trying to incriminate Mr. Jarkloh by erroneously saying Love had name Journalists Jarkloh as one who raped her.
“Her attempt also failed when little Love, convicted by Journalist Jarkloh’s innocence, burst in tears without heeding to the incrimination tactic employ by Judge Quaqua.” Mr. Kortimai, who expressed gratitude to God for failing the plotters against Journalists Jarkloh underscored the need for government to overhauled it judicial branch because she observed that that branch of government is corrupt that the Executive and the Legislature. “Government’s good governance policy will remain a failure unless the administration of justice is transparent,” Mr. Kortimai.