By: Al Smith Criminal Justice, Homeland Security, and Counter-terrorism Expert Washington D.C. -Based Investigator
IPNEWS: For more than two decades, the United States has maintained a clear and principled position: the International Criminal Court (ICC) has no jurisdiction over American citizens or officials of close U.S. allies. This stance is rooted in bipartisan legislation, constitutional protections, and a sober understanding of how international justice mechanisms can be manipulated for political ends. Recent Executive Orders have reaffirmed this policy by authorizing sanctions, visa restrictions, and financial prohibitions against individuals who support ICC actions targeting the United States or its partners.
Yet despite this clarity, the activities of Alain Werner, Director of Civitas Maxima, and his long time collaborator Hassan Bility of the Global Justice Research Project (GJRP), continue to raise profound concerns. These concerns are not abstract. They are grounded in a documented pattern of false statements, coached witnesses, retaliatory tactics, and politically charged prosecutions a pattern that has now triggered a $15 million civil action for malicious prosecution in the United Kingdom.
A Case Built on Falsehoods
The most striking example is the failed prosecution of Dr. Agnes Reeves Taylor in London. On March 27, 2017, Werner submitted 17 witness statements to the Metropolitan Police statements that became the basis for Dr. Reeves Taylor’s arrest on June 1, 2017, and her 27 months of solitary detention.
Every one of those statements has since been discredited.
The most egregious claim was that Dr. Reeves Taylor executed Superintendent Amos Bohn in Kakata in 1990. Yet Bohn is alive and residing in the United Kingdom. This single fact alone collapses the foundation of the prosecution. But it was not an isolated error it was part of a broader pattern of fabricated testimony, reportedly obtained from coached and financially compensated witnesses.
Once these falsehoods were exposed, the case was dismissed in its entirety.
A Pattern Repeated Across Cases
The same pattern emerged in the Gibril Massaquoi proceedings in Finland. Massaquoi was acquitted twice, with the court finding that the witness statements again linked to Werner and Bility’s networks were completely false. These statements were used to initiate the investigation, justify the arrest, and sustain a prosecution that collapsed under scrutiny.
This is not coincidence. It is a systemic problem.
Similar allegations of coached witnesses, fabricated accounts, and manipulated testimony have surfaced in every major case in which Werner and Bility have been involved including cases in the United States.
Interference in Liberia Today
Now, as Werner and Bility face a $15 million civil action for malicious prosecution in the United Kingdom, reports from Liberia indicate that operatives associated with Civitas Maxima are actively attempting to interfere with the ongoing proceedings. These individuals have been observed moving between locations including the Temple of Justice engaging in conduct widely described as deceptive, coercive, and obstructive.
If accurate, these actions represent an attempt to manipulate or derail a legitimate civil process designed to hold Werner and Bility accountable for the harm caused by their false statements.
A Direct Challenge to U.S. Policy
Werner has also been a vocal supporter of the ICC’s efforts to pursue Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and other senior Israeli officials positions that directly contradict U.S. foreign policy and align with ICC initiatives the United States has deemed illegitimate and politically motivated.
At the same time, individuals in the United States who have raised concerns about Werner, Civitas Maxima, or the GJRP have reportedly faced retaliatory threats or attempts to trigger foreign proceedings an alarming effort to weaponize international justice mechanisms against U.S. citizens for speech protected under the First Amendment.
U.S. Funding and the Need for Oversight
These concerns are magnified by the fact that the Center for Justice and Accountability (CJA) received a five year, $6.3 million grant from the U.S. Department of State’s Office of Global Criminal Justice in 2021 to support transitional justice initiatives, including the Liberia Justice Project an initiative conducted jointly with Werner and Bility.
U.S. taxpayer funds must never support individuals or organizations whose activities conflict with American foreign policy, undermine constitutional rights, or compromise the integrity of justice processes abroad.
The Path Forward
Congress should not authorize any funding for a Liberian War and Economic Crimes Court unless Civitas Maxima, the GJRP, and CJA are fully removed from the process. Moreover, the U.S. Department of Justice, Department of Homeland Security, and relevant congressional committees should initiate a comprehensive investigation into:
• the Liberia Justice Project,
• the activities of Civitas Maxima and the GJRP,
• the use of U.S. government funds, and
• any efforts to target U.S. persons for protected speech.
The United States must ensure that its foreign assistance, its legal system, and its diplomatic posture are not exploited by individuals or organizations whose actions undermine American interests or the rights of U.S. citizens.
Accountability is overdue and the stakes are too high to ignore.
About the Author Al Smith is a Criminal Justice, Homeland Security, and Counter-Terrorism expert with advanced degrees in International Security, Global Conflict Resolution, and Criminal Justice. He holds certifications from the U.S. Department of Defense and other agencies.
Academic Credentials
M.A. in International Relations & Global Security with concenyration in Conflict Resolution, American Military University
Msc in Criminal Justice (Homeland Security), Colorado Technical University- B.S. in Criminal Justice (Homeland Security & Emergency Management), Strayer University
A.A. in Criminal Justice, Everest College, Smith served on two NATO deployments under the U.S. Department of Defense in Force Protection Operations, including participation in the joint construction protection of the 44th U.S. Presidential Inaugural Grandstand
