Justice Ministry official under fire over alleged police-killer’s release from prison

By Clementine Salue

Assistant Minister for Litigation at the Ministry of Justice, Cllr. Wesseh Alphonsus Wesseh came under huge public criticism and condemnation by several Liberians early Wednesday, when the Justice Ministry official appeared on a local radio station and asserted that he doesn’t know much about the murder case involving NSA Commander Sampson Pennue, accused of allegedly gunning down to death ex-deputy police commander Alexander Saye, in Grand Gedeh County.

In December of 2020, police in Grand Gedeh officially charged the Regional Commander of the National Security Agency (NSA) for Grand Gedeh County, Sampson Pennue, for allegedly killing the Deputy Commissioner of Police, Alexander Saye.

Saye’s lifeless body was discovered with bullet wounds during the morning hours of 27 November 2021, in Grand Gedeh.

The slain police commander was also the Regional Director of the Police Support Unit (PSU) of the Liberia National Police (LNP) assigned in Grand Gedeh.

Howbeit, contrary to the laws of the country regarding the charge of murder, suspect Sampson Pennue, who was incarcerated and awaiting trial,  was in June 0f 2021, released on bail.

But speaking on a local radio talk show in Monrovia, when he was quizzed as to why Sampson Pennue was released on bail after he was indicted by the court for murder, although Cllr. Wesseh admitted to the charge of murder under Liberia’s jurisprudence being non-bailable, but intoned that he could not say why the murder suspect was released.

Assistant Minister Wesseh said he is not the one handling such case, but his bosses, adding that what he knows is that the Supreme Court filed a writ of certiorari, stating that the case would be heard this August term of court.

A writ of certiorari is a decision by the High Court to hear an appeal from a lower court. Certiorari comes from a Latin word meaning “to be more fully informed.”

Minister Wesseh disclosed that Justice Minister Musa Dean and solicitor General, Sayma Syrenius Cephus are the best persons to talk to, since according to him, they are the ones handling the murder case.

During the phone-in session of the radio talk show, most Liberians, who called, expressed disappointment in Cllr. Wesseh, arguing that he cannot be serving in the capacity of assistant minister for litigation and claims he does not know about how a murder suspect, contrary to the law, was released from prison on bail.

The Liberians lamented that Assistant Minister Wesseh was only playing smart because according to them, there are those they referred to as “big hands” behind the murder case.

The Liberians averred that Cllr. Wesseh is one of the reasons why the country’s judicial system continues to come under both local and international criticisms.