Another defeated presidential candidate has suffered a setback in claims of electoral fraud, while the Supreme Court has ordered a recount in one legislative poll and a probe in another.

The Congress for Democratic Change (CDC) was the first to be defeated before the Supreme Court claims that the 2011 presidential elections were rigged in favour of the incumbent.

This time, the Court, in a decision handed down Friday, ruled that Ms. Manjerngie Cecelia Ndebe of the Liberia Reconstruction Party had no case against the National Elections Commission (NEC) in her claims that the winner of the 2011 presidential election, President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, stole her votes.

Ms. Ndebe, who left the US to contest the presidency last October, earlier claimed in a letter circulated amongst international actors including US and UN officials, that President Sirleaf stole her votes when she (Ndebe) accrued 0.451% of the total votes.  She claimed both US Secretary of State Hilary Clinton and US ambassador Linda-Thomas Greenfield were fans of President Sirleaf and therefore ensured the rigging of elections in her favour.

But delivering the court’s verdict on Friday January 6, 2012, Justice in chambers, Justice Francis S. Korkpor, dismissed all allegations of votes rigging. He said the evidence she provided lacked merits and could not stand in court.

Justice Korkpor said the defendant could not substantiate her evidence that her votes were stolen.

For example, Justice Korkpor noted that all of her witnesses lined-up to testify before the Court, including Representative-elect Eugene Fallah Kparkar of district #1 in Lofa County, refused to testify on her behalf.

With the 2 legislative elections, the Court  also mandated the NEC to conduct a re-count of the controversial legislative elections results in District #3 in Maryland County and immediately investigate another allegation of election frauds in district # 3 Montserrado County.

For District # 3 in Maryland, the Court began hearing claims of elections fraud last year of a defeated candidate of UP David Saydee against the NEC in favor of representative-elect Roland Isaac Blalu, a candidate who contested on the ticket of the Liberty Party (LP).

Mr. Saydee claimed he was robbed of victory because the October elections in that district were fraudulent.

The respondent—NEC had earlier received complaint from David Saydee against Roland Isaac Blalu who was declared winner by NEC.

An investigation was conducted into the matter by the legal section of NEC but disagreed, labeling the UP candidate’s claims as lacking evidence.

Under Article 83 of the Liberian constitution, NEC decision on complaints can be appealed to the Supreme Court within seven days after election results are announced. And so the UP candidate filed a bill of exception and went before the highest court to seek redress.

As for district # 3 in Montserrado County, the court has also ordered the NEC to immediately investigate the allegation of elections fraud between representative-elect Bill Tweahway of UP and Koukou Y. Dorbor, of LP, David Flomo of CDC and independent candidate Solo Gbardyou.

In its verdict, Justice Jamesetta Howard Wolokolie ordered the NEC to immediately conduct a re-count of all results that emulated from various polling centers in the district in the presence of all local and international observers including party agents.

This means, both representatives-elect Blalu and Tweahway will not participate in the speakership elections slated for today and would not also take a seat at the 53rd national legislature until the re-count and investigation are conducted.