By: Leila B. Gbati
The lead prosecutor in the murder case involving former Chief Justice Gloria Scott has termed a recent comment from former Solicitor General Syrenius Cephus, implying that the former Chief Justice will go scot-free, “shared indiscipline statements”.
Cllr. Lafayette Gould made the disclosure on Monday, June 26, 2023, when she served as a guest on the Ok FM Morning Rush show.
It can be recalled that the former SG, in an opinion statement issued Monday, June 26, 2023, alleged that the Minister of Justice, Frank Musah Dean, is misleading the Government of Liberia and citizens by staging fake and baseless murder charges against former Chief Justice Scott and others in the gruesome murder of Charloe Musu.
He claimed that precious state resources would be wasted on what seems like a complete circus,” and at the end, the entire nation would be left in a state of oblivion, and Justice Scott and others would walk out free.”This is a comical tragedy that the nation faces! The Minister of Justice is in the saddle of this ploy and knows that the prosecution cannot prove murder charges, yet he has made it appear that Justice Scott and the others committed murder,” he said.
The former Solicitor General indicated that the prosecution’s best option is to “go for manslaughter for the other girl, negligent homicide and providing false information to law enforcement, criminal facilitation, and criminal conspiracy for Justice Scott and the others.””These are all billable offenses. Since it’s suspected that there was a fistfight between the deceased and the other girl resulting in her death, manslaughter is best suited, and for the alleged omission of Justice Scott and others in the home at the time of the incident, the negligent homicide will do,” he added.
He underscored the need for an Independent Counsel to do a forensic criminal investigation along with a team of police officers to collect material evidence relevant to this matter.
Cllr. Cephus said as it stands, “The murder charges are nothing but a complete charade.” It’s better for the state to drop the case now and avoid serious embarrassment than to pretend that it’s pursuing a murder case against Justice Scott.”What the government must understand about these murder charges is that the same ‘private’ lawyers who represented Musa Dean at the Supreme Court of Liberia in his contempt case are now the same lawyers for Justice Scott. What other evidence or definition do we need for collusion and connivance to say that these are stage-managed charges whose ultimate result would be acquittal?” He asked.
According to him, Chief Justice Scott is innocent. Nobody can prove murder charges against her, “but she is the big ‘elephant’ in the room, and once she is set free on fake murder charges, everyone will get out! Liberians, open your eyes.”Cllr. Cephus wants the President to appoint an Independent Counsel who will reconstruct the entire crime scene, take fingerprints of all of the occupants on the body and on instruments found at the scene, and then conduct a detailed investigation forensically analyzing the evidence gathered to determine its materiality and probative value relevant to the alleged murder case.
He said the first approach is for the Independent Counsel to enter a Nolle Prosequi in favor of the defendants with reservation or with the right to re-file, and that it drops “all the fake murder charges as the stand, disband the team of prosecutors and end the drama that is attracting more lawyers for the defendants and remove the case from under the control and supervision of the Minister of Justice; get the mobile phones of all of the defendants and review their call logs on the night of the incident to determine who they talked to or who talked to them, determine the angulations of those who received and made calls to them their proximity to the crime scene and invite them for investigation irrespective of their positions or status on the social scale.” As it stands, he contended that the entire murder case against Justice Scott is a complete circus,” which is why it’s attracting more Pro Bono lawyers.
But sharply reacting to the statement, Cllr. Gould said, “I think that is indiscipline. When you serve in a position—you serve a ministry, you serve a government—and for whatever reason you leave, you still have to give respect to those who are there and whatever assistance you think you can give because of the passion you say you have for the job, instead of coming on the radio and lambasting and talking about things that you have no knowledge about. So I think that’s just shared indiscipline.”He argued that the former SG was not part of the investigation, never went on the scene, and did not know what all the investigators did.”You talk about fingerprints; you talk about call logs; come on, mhn.
The former SG should do better than that. You expect us to lead an investigation and don’t take those things into consideration, and when you sit down, you think you’re a professor? I am disappointed,” Cllr. Gould noted.
The government lawyer used the occasion to advise Cllr. Cephus is to keep quiet on this matter and wait to see the evidence before he starts talking.
According to him, to even say Cllr Scott will be set free was done on purpose; he said, “You cannot have us young lawyers, people with integrity, which he’s aware of, on a team on prosecution, and then you come and just make statements that will end up injuring our characters. Why would you want to do that?”
However, Cllr. Gould indicated that he will leave the case with the Liberian people to see the evidence, calling on everyone to give the prosecution a chance to do its work.
He intoned that when he sits down and draws out an indictment against someone, they themselves will know that they cannot fight the said case, implying that something tangible is in the indictment, and that’s why he’s in this case.
The councilor said that right now, justice for Charloe Musu is more important to him than anything else.
It can be recalled that the former Chief Justice and others were on Thursday, June 22, 2023, they were remanded at the Monrovia Central Prison a day after they were released based on a Writ of Habeas Corpus filed by their lawyer.
The former Chief Justice and others were invited on Tuesday, June 20, 2023, to the headquarters of the LNP in continuation of the ongoing investigation into the alleged murder of Charloe Musu on February 22, 2023, at the Brewerville residence of the former Chief Justice.
