By E. Geedahgar Garsuah
MONROVIA: Former Solicitor General of Liberia, Cllr. Sayma Syrenius Cephus, has termed as ‘comic tragedy,’ the trial of Gloria Musu Scott, former Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of Liberia on murder and other charges.
Cllr. Cephus claims that the charges levied against Justice Scott and three of her family members for the death of Charloe Musu are bogus and unfounded
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According to the topnotch Liberian Lawyer, the trial of Justice Musu Scott is a ploy designed by the Minister of Justice, Cllr. Frank Musah Dean, who is also Attorney General of Liberia to embarrass the Government of Liberia.
“This is a comic 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 to appear that Justice Scott and the others committed murder,” Cllr. Cephus opined in his latest published opinion article.
Ex-SG Cephus: “What the government must understand about these charges is the fact that the same private lawyers who represented Musah 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 contended that Justice Scott is innocent as the prosecution cannot prove beyond reasonable doubt that she committed murder.
The former Solicitor General and Liberia’s Ex-Chief Prosecutor said Justice Scott is the “big elephant in the room and once she is set free on fake murder charges, everyone will get out.”
“Since it is suspected that there was a fistfight between the deceased and the other girl resulting to death, manslaughter is best suited and for alleged omission of Justice Scott and others in the home at the time of the incident, negligent homicide will do,” he opined in the article.
Cllr. Cephus warned the government to drop the case and to stay away from being put to shame and safe state’s resources on grounds that to prove murder charge against former Chief Justice is legally farfetched.
“The murder charges are nothing but a complete charade. It is better for the state to drop the case now and avoid serious embarrassment than to pretend that it is pursuing a murder case against Justice Scott,” he suggested.
Lawyer Cephus entreated President George Manneh Weah to institute an Independent Counsel to thoroughly conduct a forensic criminal investigation aimed at reconstructing the crime scene and reevaluate all pieces of material evidence in the case.
However, the Head of the State prosecution team, Cllr. Cllr. Lafayette Gould, termed the former Solicitor General’s assertions as being indiscipline.
A local daily, quoted Cllr. Gould as saying “When you served 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 radio and lambasting and talking things that you have no knowledge about. So, I think that is shared indiscipline.
Cllr. Gould asserted that for the former SG to have insinuated that the prosecution cannot prove murder charge against Justice Scott is not a fact because Cllr. Cephus has no knowledge regarding the investigation as he was never a part.
Cllr. Gould: “You talked about fingerprints, you talked about call log; come on mehn. You expecting us to lead an investigation and don’t take those things into consideration, and you sit down you think you’re a professor, I am disappointed,” Gould added.
The state’s prosecution team urged Cllr. Cephus to stop making comments on proceedings that he has no knowledge about and wait for the evidence the State has in its possession.
According to Cllr. Gould, the former SG insinuation that Justice Scott will be acquitted is a calculated attempt to bring the legal integrity of the prosecution team to public disrepute.
Gould: “You cannot have us young lawyers, people with integrity which he is aware of, on a team of prosecution and then you come and just make statements that will end up injuring our characters. Why will you want to do that?”
