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Friday, December 20, 2024

LIBERIA: AFTER TWO-YEAR COURT FOUND MARIA LUYKEN GUILTY OF CHILD TRAFFICKING

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After two years of legal battle, Criminal Court ‘B’ at the Temple of Justice has ruled Ms. Mariah Luyken guilty of child trafficking. Maria was found liable for sending the children of two Liberian women to the United States of America without the consent of their mothers, Mathaline Johnson & Elizabeth Johnson.

Madam Luyken was accused along with two alleged accomplices Ernest Urey and Edwin Walk, but the Court ruled that the prosecution did not provide sufficient evidence to link the alleged associates.

It can be recalled, last Friday the 23rd of October ruling ends a two-year case that has been hanging in the courts.

However, hours to the Court’s verdict several women believe to be supporters of the victims’ mothers attacked defendant Maria Morgan at the Temple of Justice in demand of the children.

Defendant Maria and two others were indicted in 2018 for trafficking two Liberian kids to the United States of America unknown to the kid’s mothers Mathaline Johnson & Elizabeth Johnson.

Upon the ruling, women supporting the two mothers vented their anger on Ms. Luyken and mercilessly beat her on the premises of the court. She was rescued by the Liberia National Police.

Luyken has been accused on multiple occasions of being a notorious child trafficker. She runs an adoption agency, West African Children Support Network, which she uses to adopt children and traffic them to the United States – leaving no trace to their biological parents.

In 2009, 35 children were taken from her agency because the adoption agency did not follow adoption laws and some of the children were allegedly being mistreated.

At the time of this case, Canada had stopped adoptions from Liberia because of the alleged child trafficking going on in Liberia. The U.S. Embassy in Liberia, however, still accepted adoption-related orphan visa applications from U.S. citizens. According to some social media activists, including one “Ida Mae” on Twitter, Ms. Luyken allegedly trafficked about 550 children out of Liberia.

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