Former National Security Agency (NSA) official Peter Bon Jallah has been sentenced to 50 years in prison after Criminal Court ‘E’ Judge Wesseh Alphonsus Wesseh Sr. upheld his conviction for statutory rape involving a 16-year-old boy
The sentence was handed down on Tuesday, November 3, 2026, following the court’s decision to maintain the statutory rape conviction while setting aside a separate kidnapping conviction on jurisdictional grounds.
Jallah, 63, had previously been found guilty of statutory rape and kidnapping but acquitted of gang rape following a bench trial.
In a ruling delivered on Monday, November 2, Judge Wesseh overturned the kidnapping conviction, citing a jurisdictional error in the handling of the charge. The judge clarified that the decision effectively amounted to an acquittal on that particular conviction but did not prevent prosecutors from pursuing the kidnapping charge before a court with the appropriate jurisdiction.
The court also rejected the defense’s request for a new trial, ruling that the motion failed to meet the legal requirements for reopening a case decided through a bench trial.
Following the announcement of the 50-year sentence, Jallah’s legal team disclosed plans to challenge both the conviction and sentence before the Supreme Court of Liberia.
The case attracted significant public attention because of the allegations of sexual abuse involving a minor. During the trial, prosecutors presented 12 witnesses, including the victim, police investigators, medical personnel and a Rwandan forensic examiner.
DNA evidence also featured prominently among the prosecution’s evidence presented in support of the allegations.
Jallah was arrested in January 2026 after the victim’s mother reportedly lodged a formal complaint against him. Throughout the proceedings, the former NSA official denied the allegations.
The court’s decision followed an earlier ruling by the Assigned Circuit Judge of Criminal Court ‘E,’ His Honor Wesseh Aphonsus Wesseh Sr., who quashed and denied a motion for a new trial filed by the defense in the high-profile sodomy case, clearing the way for the proceedings to advance to sentencing.
The denial of the retrial request effectively brought the trial proceedings to a close, leaving the court to determine the appropriate punishment for the convicted former NSA official.
Following Tuesday’s sentencing, Jallah’s legal team announced plans to challenge both the conviction and the 50-year prison sentence before the Supreme Court of Liberia.
With the defense preparing to pursue an appeal, the case now enters another phase of judicial proceedings, as the Supreme Court is expected to review the legal arguments surrounding the conviction and sentence.
