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Claim: A local news platform in Liberia, The Closing Argument, claimed that Criminal Court C has suspended Attorney Gbawou Kowou’s law licence for one year.
Verdict: Misleading! Court documents sighted by DUBAWA show the one-year suspension of Kowou’s law licence was only a recommendation, pending a final decision by the Ethics Committee.
Full text
A local news organisation in Liberia, The Closing Argument, reports that Criminal Court C has suspended lawyer Gbawou Kowou’s law licence for one year.
The blog made the claim on its official Facebook page, stating, “Liberia Criminal Court C has suspended Atty. Gbawou Kowou’s License as a Lawyer in Liberia for One Year and has referred the matter to the Grievance and Ethics Committee.”
The claim, shared by other platforms and individuals here, here, and here, generated over 20 comments, more than 25 emojis, and three shares.
Who is Atty Kowou, and why this claim?
Attorney Gbawou Kowou is one of the lawyers in the ongoing Saudi rice case involving Liberia’s former Foreign Minister, Amb. D. Maxwell Kemayah, and other former officials of the George Weah administration.
In April 2023, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia donated a large consignment of rice, over 29,000 bags of 25 kg, to the Republic of Liberia for humanitarian purposes.
While the case is ongoing, Atty. Kowou went to the premises of the Liberia Assets Recovery and Property Retrieval Task Force (AREPT), claiming the team was intimidating his witnesses, and began going live on his Facebook page.
Following his live Facebook video, he then filed a complaint against the prosecution team, AREPT, before Criminal Court C at the Temple of Justice.
In the wake of this controversy, a media platform, The Closing Argument, alleged that the Court has suspended the lawyer’s licence for one year.
DUBAWA decided to investigate the claim as part of its mandate to promote truth-telling in public discourse.
Verification
To verify this claim, the researcher reviewed the court’s ruling in the complaint filed by Kowou against AREPT.
According to the ruling, the Court recommended a one-year suspension of Atty. Gbawo Kowou’s law license while referring him to the Grievance and Ethics Committee of the Supreme Court of Liberia for investigation.
The ruling stated, “WHEREFORE, and in view of the foregoing, it is the holding of this Court that the Bill of Information should be and the same is hereby denied and dismissed in its entirety. Consequently, Atty. Gbawo Kowuo is referred to the Grievance and Ethics Committee of the Supreme Court of Liberia for further investigation, with a strong recommendation that his law license be suspended for one calendar year for unethical and unprofessional conduct unbefitting of a lawyer.”
Screenshot of the court’s ruling
Conclusion
Based on the court’s ruling, the claim that Criminal Court C has suspended Kowou’s licence for one year is misleading. It is only a recommendation pending a final decision by the Ethics and Grievance Committee.