The Civil Law Court at the Temple of Justice has fined 19 journalists and support staff members of the embattled Spoon FM radio and television stations after they were found guilty of contempt on Tuesday July 18. After imposing the fines, Civil Law Court Judge, Kennedy Peabody, suspended prison sentences against the defendants. The closure order was based on a lawsuit of defamation filed by Wilmot Smith, a dismissed former Deputy Director General of Liberia Institute for Statistics and Geo-Information Services (LISGIS), against Spoon FM. “You are very important in disseminating information that can destroy lives and property or make people live peacefully with each other,” Peabody reminded the spoon FM employees. “This attitude clearly shows disrespect and disregard for the judiciary and the court, the rule of law and your fellow citizens,” Peabody told the spoon FM employees.

Source: Daily Observer July 20, 2023 19:14 UTC