[ad_1]
Liberia’s former Attorney General and Chief Justice Gloria Maya Musu-Scott has been acquitted of her niece’s charges by the country’s Supreme Court.
The 70-year-old man and three female relatives were sentenced to life imprisonment for the brutal murder of 29-year-old Charlotte Musu in February 2023.
The case attracted national attention because Ms. Musu-Scott was once one of Liberia’s most prominent judges and politicians, a champion of women’s rights and had just won a major case against the Electoral Commission as part of the then-opposition party’s legal team at the time of her conviction.
After more than eight months in prison, they were finally released and welcomed by cheering crowds outside the prison.
Shortly afterwards, Ms. Mousse-Scott said she and her family were happy for their release, but she lamented the state of the justice system.
“There are a lot of innocent people in prison in this republic. So I want to thank the lawyers. But I want to tell them that there is still a lot of work to be done.”
Ms. Moussu-Scott served as Liberia’s Minister of Justice and later as Chief Justice of the Supreme Court until her retirement in 2003.
She later turned to politics and served as a Maryland County council member until 2012.
She remains a member of the Unity Party, whose leader Joseph Boakai became president in January, and was part of the legal team that successfully challenged the electoral commission’s decision to deny parties access to the voters’ list.
In December, Ms Musu-Scott and three of her relatives were convicted by a lower court of stabbing her niece, criminal conspiracy and making a false report to police. They were sentenced to life imprisonment in January.
The former chief justice denied the allegation, saying the 29-year-old was killed by an “assassin” who entered her home in the capital, Monrovia.
Chief Justice Sie-A-Nyene Yuoh, in delivering his appeal ruling on Wednesday, said there was insufficient evidence to link the former judge and his relatives to the crime.
“The state has not satisfied its burden of proof to prove the defendant’s guilt. Therefore, the defendant is acquitted of all charges, including murder and criminal conspiracy, as charged in the indictment,” Judge You ruled.
The Supreme Court said the evidence presented by state prosecutors failed to identify specific individuals responsible for the murder.
State prosecutors have previously acknowledged that the conviction was based on circumstantial evidence, according to local media reports.
Women’s rights groups are calling on people not to forget Charlotte Musu.
The Liberian Women’s NGO Secretariat (Wongosol) said in a statement that the acquittal “opens the wounds again and ignites a sense of urgency in seeking true justice for the murdered women.”
“Justice cannot be sacrificed for the sake of those who have been wronged.”
The group added that the acquitted women also needed help to rebuild their lives.
“While we acknowledge that the criminal justice system is designed to protect the innocent, we cannot ignore the fact that a serious injustice has occurred.
“Those who have been wrongfully accused and detained have suffered tremendously.”
[ad_2]
Source link
