By Danesius Marteh
The Civil Law Court will today rule at 3:30PM on a petition for declaratory judgment filed by presidential aspirant Cassell Anthony Kuoh, Sr. in the pending Liberia Football Association (LFA) elections.
Judge Peter Gbeneweleh heard arguments from lawyers representing the LFA, led by solicitor-general Augustine Fayiah.
Cllrs. Jimmy Bombo and James Kumeh, who are representing Kouh, informed the court that the LFA statutes contradict the regulations and their client’s rights to participate in the elections.
Cllr. Michael Kollie Jeke of the LFA said article 58.1, which prevents Kuoh, is an integrity clause just as it is contained in the act creating the General Auditing Commission, to which the judge asked whether it violates article 21(j) of the Liberian constitution.
It says “any person who, upon conviction of a criminal offense, was deprived of the enjoyment of his civil rights and liberties, shall have the same automatically restored upon serving the sentence and satisfying any other penalty imposed, or upon an executive pardon.”
Cllr. Jeke also said it was a Fifa integrity clause that anyone, who has been found guilty, said not be associated with football regardless of whether s/he served his term and his/her rights have been declared.
This is an incorrect statement intended to mislead the court.
Mamatou Toure, widely known as Bavieux, was elected unopposed as president of Mali Football Association (Femafoot) on 29 August 2023 for a four-year term while in prison.
Toure was awaiting trial after being accused of embezzling funds during his time as a financial and administrative director in Mali’s
National Assembly.
The 68-year-old, who has led Femafoot since 2019, was a member of both the Fifa Council (executive committee member) and the executive committee of the Confederation of African Football (Caf) at the time of his election before his tenure expired.
He was never removed from his posts at Fifa and Caf because of his indictment.
Toure was released after 622 days in prison on 22 April 2025.
