2 Liberian Maritime Officials sentenced to 9 Years Each in South Korea

Liberia’s Permanent Representative to the International Maritime Organization (IMO), Moses Owen Browne and the Director of the Marine Environmental Protection Department of the Liberia Maritime Authority, Daniel Tarr, have both been sentenced to nine years each in South Korea, the Liberia Maritime Authority (LiMA) has announced.

The LiMA, in a statement Wednesday, April 5, 2023, said it was informed about the court’s decision through Pureum Law Office, the Korean Law Firm hired by the Government of the Republic of Liberia (GoL) to represent the legal interest of the two officials by 2:00 p.m. (Korean Time).

This comes on the heel of the scheduled Verdict Hearing in Busan, Korea, with both officials found guilty of Sexual Assault.

It could be recalled that Brown and Tarr were in November of last year charged with multiple counts of sexual assault and joint illegal confinement by the Office of the Prosecutor, Busan, South Korea. These charges of the two Liberian Officials stemmed out of an incident, which occurred on the evening of September 22, 2022, in the Port City of Busan, South Korea, while representing the Republic of Liberia at an IMO Training Seminar.

Accordingly, following their conviction, the Court in Busan consequently sentenced both Messrs. and Tarr to serve prison terms of nine (9) years each.

“The Government of the Republic of Liberia, through LiMA, the Ministry of Foreign Afairs and the Ministry of Justice, has instructed its legal representation in Korea, Pureum Law Office, to furnish it with the various Appeal Options available to a criminal defendant under Korean Laws. Notwithstanding, it has been established that any appeal from such a verdict has to be exercised no later than seven (7) days following the rendition of the judgement. LİMA shall provide further information to the public once a decision is made regarding the issue of appeal,” asserted the LiMA in the statement.

“The Families of Messrs. Browne and Tarr have since been informed of the Korean Court’s Decision in this matter. The Government of Liberia intends to facilitate the visit to Busan, Korea, of at least one member of each family to ensure, inter alia, that contact between Messrs. Browne and Tarr and their respective families is maintained in the aftermath of the sentence,” the statement pointed out

“The Government of the Republic of Liberia shall continue to remain engaged with the Government of the Republic of Korea through official diplomatic channels to explore any and all options, which may be available to Messrs. Browne and Tarr,” the statement added.