Criminal Court ‘D’ in Monrovia is preparing to hand down its verdict this week in Liberia’s first-ever piracy case, which involves two Nigerian men accused of commandeering a cargo vessel in the Gulf of Guinea.
Court documents show the suspects were apprehended earlier this year after armed attackers seized control of a Liberia-flagged ship carrying goods through international waters.
A distress alert from the crew triggered a swift response by international naval forces, who later turned the men over to Liberian authorities under global maritime security agreements.
The trial has drawn significant interest, according to Front Page Africa, because Liberia operates one of the world’s largest open ship registries but has never previously prosecuted piracy cases domestically.
International law grants the country jurisdiction over crimes committed on vessels registered under its flag.
During Monday’s hearing, defense counsel Cllr. Bestman Juah told the court that the accused had confessed to the hijacking and were seeking a plea bargain.
“The defendants had admitted responsibility for the hijacking and were requesting a plea-bargain arrangement,” Juah stated.
Prosecutors did not contest the motion, raising the likelihood of reduced penalties in return for the defendants’ cooperation.
Resident Judge Mameita Jabateh-Sirleaf, who oversees Criminal Court ‘D’, must now decide whether to approve the plea deal and outline sentencing guidelines, which may also include deportation after time served.
Criminal Court ‘D’, which handles serious offenses such as armed robbery, terrorism, and hijacking, is increasingly being used to tackle transnational crimes. For now, the court has not yet set a sentencing date.
