A former Liberian Finance Minister was sentenced to 10 years in prison Friday night after a military court found her guilty of sedition. The former official, Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf, 46 years old, an international banker who at one time represented Citibank in Nairobi, Kenya, was quoted by the Liberian press agency as thanking the military court for the manner in which the trial was conducted. She also pleaded to the military leader, Gen. Samuel K. Doe, for mercy, saying Liberia needed all its resources to tackle the many problems it faced.
Miss Johnson-Sirleaf, who served as Finance Minister under President William Tolbert in the late 1970's, called members of the present military-led administration "idiots" while on a speaking tour of the United States last July. She told the tribunal Friday night that she had spoken out of frustration because her political party at the time faced problems in getting legal recognition.
Source: New York Times
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