By Grace Q. Bryant
The Judge of Criminal Court “C”, Blamo Dixon, has released Cllr. Gloria Musu Scott and the three others from police detention thereby advising the State to do that which is legal.
The court freed the petitioners from the consistent torture against her yesterday when Judge Blamo Dixon granted the Writ of Herbas Corpus filed by petitioner Scott’s legal team against Ministry of Justice and Liberia National Police citing Articles 21(f) of the Constitution of Liberia requesting the court to take judicial notice.
Counsel furthered prayed the court that the heavy presence of armed men to her house be determined by her so as to have sanity in the environment where she live and that court should award to the petitioner all that is legal and proper under the Law.
The defense lawyers represented by Cllr. Richard J. Scott, Cllr. Augustine C. Fayiah, Cllr. Kuku Dorbor, Cllr. Jonathan Massaquoi, Cllr. Murphy Kanneh, Cllr. Aloysius Toe, Atty. Bouwolo Taylor Kelly and Atty. N. Dixon R. Tamba to be joined by other counsels
While prosecution’s legal team is represented by are Cllr. Sumo C. Kuku, Cllr. Aloysius F. K. Allison,Cllr. Lafayette B Gould, Sr., Cllr. J. Adolphus Karnuah, II. Cllr. Bobby F.W. Livingstone, Cllr. Aaron Kpaklin, Cllr. Nyante Twan and Cllr. E. Boykai Harvey
In the five-count resistance to the petition, prosecution prayed the court denies and dismisses the petition citing Articles 21(E) (F) and take judicial notice of the legal reliance as sketched in the petitioner’s petition.
Judge Dixon expressed that based on the fact that the mal-treatment and torture of the former Chief Justice and her family by the state prosecutor or operatives, they should be released noting that the court is inclined to grant the petitioners’ petition for a Writ of Hebeas Corpus as filed before the court and for the reasons stated in the petition.
“The court says that the petitioners’ petition for the Writ of Habeas Corpus will lie because the petitioners have been in constructive custody from February 22 up to June 20 when they were invited at the National Headquarter , where they were detained and slept in detention,” Judge Dixon stressed.
He noted that the Law provides that when the liability and rights of a citizen of Republic of Liberia restrained the appropriate remedy at law is writ of Habeas Corpus. “The constitution of Liberia did not say after 48 hours, the Constitution says within the period of 48 hours and in that light the petitioner Writ of Habeas Corpus will not be premature but within the confines of the constitution and statutory law of the Republic of Liberia,” he explained.
“In conclusion, the petitioners are hereby ordered released from holding cell of the Liberia National Police and entrusted to the custody of their legal counsels headed by Augustine Fayiah and other Counsels of records some of whom are present while others may be in court,” the court ordered.
The court added, “The petitioners shall not go back to the headquarter of the Liberia National Police from the court house of the First Judicial Circuit Criminal “C” for Montserrado County, Republic of Liberia. The presence of the heavy armed police officers assigned to the residence of the petitioners is hereby ordered reduced if not withdrawn.”
The resistance of the prosecution was denied and the sheriff as ordered to have the petitioner placed in her office for their counsel to signed for them pending the issuance of a writ of arrest from the appropriate court and or the issuance of an indictment from the Grand Jury of Montserrado County,”
Those initially recognized as alleged perpetrators are off the and though with the announced charges, Cllr. Scott and family members who were in police custody are now allowed to go home following the granting of the Writ of Habea Corpus by the Court on grounds that the prosecution’s Writ of Arrest to the suspects was verbal.
According to the police, the former Chief Justice and all those considered as co-conspirators in the death of Charloe Musu are said to have been charged for murder, criminal conspiracy and false alarm.
Amidst all the alarms from the family, all of which the joint security were aware of, the Liberia National Police yesterday, June 21, 2023 subsequently forwarded to court Cllr. Scott, Ma Rebecca Youdeh Wisner, Gertrue Newton and Alice Johnson, who were all occupants of the house at the time of the incident.
On February, Charloe was murdered in the home of Cllr. Scott by unknown person(s) whom the family claimed may have entered their premises deviously, but police investigation said there was no intrusion during the day of the incident that led to gruesome murder of a member of her family.
According to the police, Cllr. Scott and the three persons were the only occupants of her home in lower Virginia when Charloe was attacked and murdered on the fateful February 22, 2023.
But addressing what was announced as a major press conference at the Ministry of Information Culture Affairs and Tourism, LNP lead investigator, Prince Mulbah, revealed that since the occurrence of the crime, the police have been investigating the reported intrusion and other crimes that occurred on the scene.
Mulbah observed that the long investigation discovered that the reported alarm raise about intrusion into the building was false thus holding all occupants of the house including Cllr. Scott as prime suspect for the murder of Charloe Musu.
He informed the press that the investigation team met all entries to Cllr. Scott’s home locked after the alarm was raised about an unknown person in the house who allegedly killed her daughter.
“The keys of the doors were presented to those that rush in for the search by the former Chief Justice,” chief investigator Mulbah said.
He noted that the LNP investigation discovered that the deceased was found in the personal bathroom of Madam Scott before being pronounced dead by health practitioners.
“This case investigation has been concluded and those arrested as suspect are going to be forwarded to court in the statutory 48 hours timeframe. All evidences are on hand to hold them until they can proof themselves innocent in the court of competent jurisdiction,” Mulbah stressed.
For his part, Information Minister Ledgerhood Rennie called on the public to refrain from making speculations into the case while the justice system is pushing to find justice for the decease, her family and the entire country.
According to Rennie the magnitude of the case is of essence to an extent that the court of public opinion should not be used in its judgment.
He urged that justice be served through the process of law and order as those suspected remain assume innocent until proven guilty in the court process.
