PHOTO: Former Liberian Chief Justice, Cllr. Gloria Musu Scott
STATEMENT BY FAMILY OF CLLR. GLORIA MUSU SCOTT
… The family takes note of statements by some top government officials and other state actors, as well as investigators including Col. Prince Mulbah, Deputy Inspector General for Investigation, and others, conveying that that the investigation has been concluded.
Monrovia, Liberia, March 5, 2023: We, Counsellor Gloria Maya Musu-Scott, former Chief Justice of the Honorable Supreme Court of Liberia and the Chief Musu family again extend thanks and appreciation to the Almighty God for giving us the strength, comfort and endurance to withstand the loss of a progressive and promising family member, assault and humiliation we have faced and continue to face, all persons, especially women and institutions for the massive show of support, solidarity and prayers by visiting, calling or condemning such an inhumane act.
The family also thanks the Liberian media, all well-meaning Liberians and Professional institutions and members of the International Community who have and continue to take interest in this case to ensure that due process is accorded the deceased and the Musu family.
However, the Family has observed from series of statements from and /or by some Government Officials and state actors being made in the public in attempts to either compromise the atrocious crime committed against the family or turn the public against them. All this is in spite of the fact that they are undergoing pain and suffering as a result of the crime committed against the family by unknown persons, ranging from murder, aggravated assault and terroristic threats.
It can be recalled that after the commission of the crime, there have been negative utterances from and by top government officials and national actors geared towards compromising the murder and assault on the family. Some of those top government officials and national actors’ statements which are in the public domain are as follows –
On Monday February 27, 2023, Police Inspector General Patrick Sudue, when he appeared before the Honorable Liberian Senate informed the august body that the bereaved family, who are also victims of the attack that reported the case to the Police have refused to cooperate with the Police.
On Thursday March 2, 2023, the Chairman of the ruling Coalition for Democratic Change – CDC, Mulbah K. Morlu had a Press Conference at the CDC Headquarters in Sinkor immediately after the Liberian Women Sit-in Action in protest at the Seat of the Legislature on Capitol Hill against the murder and assault against the Musu family said that Charloe Musu was not the biological daughter of Cllr. Musu-Scott and was therefore going to Maryland to find the biological parents of the late Charloe Musu. The CDC Chairman also said that Charloe was killed for ritualistic purpose and further called an autopsy to be conducted on the remains of Charloe Musu.
On Friday morning March 3, 2023, Deputy Inspector General of Police for Crime Services, Col. Prince B. Mulbah, appearing on the ELBC MICAT Half Hour said, “…Any information I am giving here must be taken very seriously because I sit as the head of Criminal Investigation at the Police…. It will be a shock to people…we are not surprised, it is such case that will be busted…it is a science, we are doing the calculations”.
We reiterate that on Thursday February 23, 2023, the day immediately following the incident, the Police IG and other Officials including the Spokesman went to the 16th Residence of Cllr. Gloria M. Musu-Scott and spoke with her. Following that interaction, the Police issued an initial statement by and through the Police Spokesman, Moses Carter insinuating that the assassin might have been a domestic worker only because there had been hired electricians working in the house on that fateful day, even though there were two initial attacks on the 8th and 9th of February 2023, two nights in a row, when no hired contractors had been at the Brewerville residence, which by the way were reported to the Police.
On the same Thursday February 23, 2023, another team of Police investigators including Abu B. Daramy, Jerry K. M. Wymah and George K. Quoi went to the 16th Street Residence also questioned Cllr. Scott, in the presence of Attorney General Musa Dean, and Godson Kollie, another family and the one who spent the day with the electricians on that fateful day. This exercise continued even by phone.
When the Minister of Justice went to the 16th Street residence during which Cllr. Scott informed him that her phones were taken and that one of them, the Orange was still ringing. She requested the Justice Minister to kindly ask the GSM companies to assist in tracking the phones to ascertain their locations. During that visit, the Attorney General called the Lonestar GSM Company to send an agent to the 16th Street residence of Cllr. Scott and register a temporary sim card for her, which was done. She was issued a new phone number while the Police are said to be making efforts to investigate the location of the phones.
Again, on March 2, 2023, Police investigators including Monroe A. Dennis, II,cj Chief Investigator of the LNP, Abu B. Daramy and Jerry K. M. Wymah of the Homicide Division visited the 16th Street residence of Cllr. Scott and extracted written statements from the victims and family members, especially those who were in the house on the night of the incident including Cllr. Gloria M. Musu-Scott, former Chief Justice of the Honorable Supreme Court of Liberia, Ma Rebecca Youdeh Wisner (Aunty Youdeh), Gertrude Newton and Alice C. Johnson. At the conclusion, the investigators said that they will do questionnaire from the statements and make a follow-up for further clarification on their written statements.
Surprising to the family, on the evening of Thursday March 2, 2023, the Police without direct notice or call to the victims, placed an open invitation on local radios and social media platforms for Justice Gloria M. Musu-Scott, Ma Rebecca Youdeh Wisner (Aunty Youdeh), Gertrude Newton and Alice C. Johnson to appear at the National Police Headquarters by 10:00am on Friday March 3, 2023 failing, which the LNP will be left with no option but to take legal action just to justify the information put in the wider public that she was not cooperating with the Police in the investigation to prove the case, even though we as a family are the victim but are now been treated like suspects.
It is important to note that the family after considering the public comments and actions of top government officials and state actors including the Chairman of the ruling coalition and knowing that they were in bad faith and not in the spirit and intent of taking into consideration the pain and hardship being undergone by the Musu family by the unknown murderer, the family decided that she is guided by lawyers in all subsequent interactions with the Police in this matter.
The family further recounts and restates that following the murder of Charloe Musu, a prospective graduate of the Starz University College, the Police at the Iron Gate Check Point was informed of the incident following which they (Police) arrived on the scene later and took charge of the premises of Cllr. Scott in Lower Virginia and have since been in charge up to and including the date of this release. During our subsequent interactions with the Police, we were issued the following documents; namely:
1. Release of Dead body, from the Crime Against Person Unit/CSD/LNP/MOJ to the Administration, Redemption Hospital, New Kru Town, Bushrod Island, Montserrado County, dated February 23, 2022, signed by Supt. Jerry M. Wymah, Acting Chief of CAPU/CSD/LNP/MOJ.
2. Medical Certificate of Cause of Death, from the Redemption Hospital, dated February 22, 2023, signed by Dr. Guilavogui Mamady with Medical Board License #: T/905.
3. Mortals (Corpse) and Release Orders to Hospitals, Funeral Homes / Administrator Management dated February 27, 2023 signed by Deputy Coroner, Mont. Co. R.L. (Unnamed) and approved by Mr. Abraham B. Ricks, County Coroner – Mont. Co. R.L releasing the body to the family for burial or funeral arrangements.
For the record, we like to make it categorically clear that Charloe Musu was not killed on the 23rd but the 22nd. One human being cannot die twice. We also want to clarify that at no time did the family request the body for funeral rites but it was advised by the Police investigators namely Abu B. Daramy, Jerry K. M. Wymah and George K. Quoi who said that the mortuary at the Redemption Hospital was not conducive for the preservation of the body.
These issues were subsequently brought to the attention of the investigators on Thursday March 2, 2023 and we requested corrections. The said Police investigators promised to make the corrections.
We like to add that the Coroner was also alone and his inspection of the body was done in the presence of two (2) family members namely Victoria M. Nimely and Julius C. Musu, to whom the Body was turned over on behalf of the family as indicated on the document.
Relying on this instrument, the family having had some family meetings. sent a delegation to the Funeral home (St. Moses) on Saturday evening March 4, 2023 to inquire on the requirements for the embalmment and other funeral services. To our utmost surprise, Moses Ahoussouhe, owner of the St. Moses Funeral Parlors who was not around spoke with Justice Scott on the phone and said that he (Moses) had received strict mandate / instructions from the Minister of Justice and the Police Inspector General that he should not allow us access to the body or have any further discussion about the body with the family.
The family takes note of statements by some top government officials and other state actors, as well as investigators including Col. Prince Mulbah, Deputy Inspector General for Investigation, and others, conveying that that the investigation has been concluded. We are alarmed that these statements are amplified by Officials of the ruling Coalition for Democratic Change – CDC which shows the trend of a conspiracy theory intended to make the victims perpetrators of the crime.
The family is very concerned that these public statements and actions of some top government officials and state actors, which are preemptive and conclusive have the propensity to undermine and alter the actual result of the investigation. These clearly give the Musu Family an impression that this investigation will have a desired and already crafted political outcome.
We are also disappointed and bring to the attention of the public and the international community that after a sustained publicity stunt through which government tried to make it appear as if Justice Scott was evading the investigation, Cllr. Scott, a former Chief Justice of the Honorable Supreme Court of Liberia, Former Minister of Justice, former Senator and former Chairperson of the Constitution Review Commission – CRC amongst other national services and her family including and elderly citizen (woman) who are victims were kept for several hours at the Police Headquarters of the LNP on Friday March 3, 2023 and were asked to report to the Headquarters the following day by 10am to go the residence where the murder took place. Interestingly, on Saturday, Justice Scott along with her family went to the Police headquarters again only to be told by investigators that they forgot the day after Friday will be Saturday, and that due to the Duala traffic, they deferred it to Monday the 6th of March 2023.
The family therefore craves the involvement of international partners to assist with an independent investigation into this matter to ensure that due process of law is attained into this murder and assault.
The family laments that this is not the only case that has been downplayed. It can be recalled that there have been series of murders in our country where the proper investigations are yet to either be commenced or completed. This why we enlist the help of the international community in these matters.
Finally, the Musu Family maintains that in line with our Grebo tradition, custom and practices and the quarters of the Boedior (High Priest), the murdered Charloe Musu is the daughter of Cllr. Gloria Maya Musu-Scott and ask members of the public and the progenitors of this uncultured and untraditional statement that the late Charloe Musu was not the biological daughter of Cllr. Scott to refrain from such.
Charloe attended the Soltiamon Christian School, graduated from the Lott Carey Mission School, and was a prospective graduate of the STARZ College of Technology.
Continuing to trust and lean on God’s unchanging hands, we remain.
Signed: ___________________
Bishop Julius C. Musu
For the Family