(MFWA/IFEX) – On 15 March 2005, officials of the Sixth Judicial Circuit Court reopened the Monrovia offices of “Forum” newspaper, following the persistent refusal by the newspaper’s management to pay a “bribe” of 500 Liberian dollars (approx. US$10) that had previously been demanded by the court as a pre-condition for its reopening. The newspaper reappeared […]
(MFWA/IFEX) – On 15 March 2005, officials of the Sixth Judicial Circuit Court reopened the Monrovia offices of “Forum” newspaper, following the persistent refusal by the newspaper’s management to pay a “bribe” of 500 Liberian dollars (approx. US$10) that had previously been demanded by the court as a pre-condition for its reopening. The newspaper reappeared on newsstands on 16 March.
The court had ordered the closure of the newspaper’s offices on 4 March following a contempt of court ruling. It subsequently ordered their reopening on 11 March after the paper’s management duly paid a fine of US$200.
But the court’s officers then declared that they would not reopen the “Forum” offices unless the paper’s management paid them 500 Liberian dollars. Augustine Fallah, managing editor of “Forum”, refused to pay the sum, describing it as a “bribe” and a calculated plan to silence the newspaper.
