Top: The Bushrod Island Magisterial Court conducts preliminary hearings in the case against two suspected timber smugglers from Caldwell, following a January DayLight investigation. The DayLight/Varney Kamara
By Varney Kamara
MONROVIA – A Montserrado court has begun preliminary hearings into a case against two suspected timber smugglers, exposed in a DayLight interview.
In late January, the Bushrod Island Magisterial Court charged Amara Fofana and Suleyman Karabacak, officials of Libfor Forest Corporation, with smuggling and economic sabotage. The pair had been at the Monrovia Central Prison for weeks after failing to secure a US$100,000 bond.
Their detention came within 48 hours after a DayLight investigation that unearthed Libfor traded timber outside the legal system.
Their case commenced recently after months of delay, and will resume later this month when the suspects’ lawyer returns. A court document shows that Cllr. Alhaji Sesay traveled to Saudi Arabia for the Hajj pilgrimage and medical reasons. He returns to Liberia on June 27, 2025, according to court filings.
“In view of the above, movant counsel humbly requests an excuse for all pending matters,” the document read.
The case will move to a circuit court, as magisterial courts lack the authority to prosecute cases of economic sabotage. However, the preliminary hearing is a legal requirement for the case to be transferred to a higher court.
This story was a Community of Forest and Environmental Journalists of Liberia (CoFEJ) production.
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