Monrovia — FrontPageAfrica has gathered that two officers of the Liberia National Police (LNP) without any authorization under the pretense of effecting an arrest attempted kidnapping the owner of Palm Spring Resort.
According to eyewitnesses, one of the officers identified as Deman Williams pointed his gun at a staff of the resort who attempting obstructing the ‘arrest’.
The management of the Palm Springs informed FPA that due to series of in-house theft, they contacted the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) of the LNP on December 13, requesting a formal investigation to be launched. Two investigators, one identified as Deman Williams/William Deman were assigned as lead investigators.
Surprisingly, according to the management, one of the investigating officers turned out to be involved in the illegal arrest.
Palm Spring management explained to FPA that the hotel has been under a modernization renovation since May this year and has therefore been closed to the public.
According to the management, because of the closure, the Resort kept a skeletal security staff as a way of keeping costs to a minimum, but the theft increased unabated costing the company tens of thousands of United States dollars in stolen items.
To stem the theft, in addition to requesting a police investigation, Palm Spring integrated an elite security company on December 20th, 2021, without the knowledge of the officers at CID or many of the remaining workers in the compound.
The management of Palm Spring began making cash payments to employees on December 17, 2021, continued those payments on the 19th and because of the large amount of cash on-hand, decided to increase the security presence during the disbursement of the staff payments being made on December 24th, Christmas Eve. Because of security concerns and the impending late hour, it was decided by the Head of Human Resources and the Head of the Workers Union that by 5:30pm, all payments would stop and continue on Monday December 27th. The envelope containing the salaries was given to a trusted employee who then gave it to the owner of the resort for safe keeping.
Eyewitnesses at the Christmas eve altercation said, at 11:45am that day two men arrived at the gate of the Resort purporting to be police officers investigating the theft reported by Palm Spring management on the 13th of December and requested to enter the premises.
Both men were asked to show identification by the security guard at the gate but they refused. The security guard then called his supervisor who spoke to the ‘officers’ and informed that they could not enter the premises without proper identification.
The hotel management informed FPA that the security guards assigned at the entrance were posted there on December 20 and could not identify the officers one those investigating the series of theft at the hotel.
According to Palm Spring security, when the security was alerted that the owner of the resort had gotten into a car to leave the property through the front gate, one of the security officers opened the gate and walked through in an attempt to inform his boss of the situation. Both officers who had been standing in front of the gate, ran past the security officer, into the property and towards the car, one of them immediately grabbed the passenger car door handle attempting to open it. The car window was open and he put his other hand in the car and grabbed the side of the owner’s pant pocket in a possible attempt to open the door, and according to witnesses, the owner looked visibly shaken, yelled and asked the gentleman “why… .who are you and what do you want”?
Simultaneously, another a security guard ran up to the car and placed himself between the LNP officer and the car door.
One of the officers then pulled out a gun while stating that the owner was under arrest, thereby, sparking a tussle between the security guards and the LNP officers.
The officer who pulled out his gun was subdued by the Palm Spring security guards. He was taken out of the premises but he again reached out for this gun and began pointing it at onlookers and staff present, according to eyewitnesses. But he was advised by his colleague to put the gun away. This is when they flashed their ID cards not did not hand it the security guards and they pulled out a purported Writ of Arrest for the owner of Resort for the alleged crime of forgery.
They claimed they were sent by the Deputy Inspector General of Police for Administration – Unit 101.
Officers from Zone 3 police Depot arrived at the scene. A police car and a police pick-up arrived as well.
According to eyewitnesses, the scene was frightening, and the altercation escalated but was later calmed by the commanding officers who questioned both officers about the writ of arrest and lack of proper police procedures.
Cllr Swaliho Sesay, one of the lawyers representing Palm Spring Resort and its owner arrived on the scene and immediately began investigating the validity of the Writ of Arrest while requesting a copy of the required Court Order. Cllr. Sesay took a picture of the Writ and sent it to Cllr. Arthur Johnson who also represents Palm Spring.
The truth began to quickly unravel, especially after Officer William Demas admitted that 101 was “at the scene” of Palm Spring earlier. According to Cllr. Sesay, Officer Demas later tried to recant his story but the Cllr. held his feet to the fire and his statement was recorded at the scene.
According to Cllrs Johnson and Sesay, it was alleged that Atty Enoch Galawolo, who was a former clerk of the Commercial Court and now a prosecutor as well as working for the law firm of AB Jallah, may have prepared the Writ. If Atty Galawolo did in fact prepare the Writ: 1. His law firm represents a complainant against Palm Spring in a case that will be put before the court, 2. He prepared an earlier affidavit pertaining to that case and, 3. he is a prosecutor and no longer works as a clerk for the Commercial Court. His license to practice law would be at immediate risk. When called after the incident, Enoch Galawolo is on record of saying that he knows nothing about the Writ.
No Judge or Clerk signed an Arrest Order. As of that Friday, according to Cllr. Arthur Johnson, no Arrest Order was filed with the courts. The Judge listed on the Writ of Arrest is on record stating that he did not see or sign the Writ of Arrest.
When people are charged for such a crime as forgery, an investigation would have had to be conducted. Arrest orders are processed by the CSD and sent down to the PSU for assistance. When Cllr. Sessay contacted the PSU, no one knew of an arrest order. Instead, 1 CSD officer (Deman) and an officer alleged to be assigned to the office of 101, Deputy Director Reeves were the only officers on the scene to execute the arrest.
It is alleged by arriving Officers to Cllr. Sesay that 101 put out the alert that officers were under attack and all officers where needed to intervene immediately at Palm Spring. According to an eyewitness, one of the officers stated repeatedly that this type of behavior keeps painting the police force as ugly.
After an informal investigation by Cllr. Johnson while Cllr. Sesay was at the scene, the Writ of Arrest was discovered to be fraudulent and not recorded by any court as of Friday, December 24, 2021.
As a backdrop to why the Deputy Police Director would jeopardize her career to be involved in a potential crime involving the possible robbery or kidnapping and/or unsanctioned arrests of a British Citizen, it is important to note that according to workers at the hotel, Deputy Director Reeves (101) lived in the Presidential Suite at Palm Spring with her then boyfriend, now allege husband, Mr. Joe Kporto from 2019 to 2020 for free. Prior to Deputy Director Reeves moving into Palm Spring, Mr. Kporto had been living there for free since 2018 and became the Manager of the hotel in 2019. The Deputy Director of Administration 101, according to employees that were interviewed, stated that Deputy Director Reeves co-managed the hotel along with Mr. Kporto. It was also alleged that the removal of Mr. and Mrs. Kporto from the resort premises was not on friendly terms.
It is also important to note that the manager that replaced Mr. Kporto, Mr. Daniel Davis has an active case indirectly involving Deputy Director 101, Officer Sadatu Reeves when it was uncovered that the attempted murder of Mr. Davis involved Officer Reeves’ allege Chief of Staff.
A complaint has been sent to the Office of the President, cc copied the Minister of State, the Minister of Justice, the Solicitor General for an NSA investigation. A formal letter of complaint was sent to the British Embassy as well.
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