Liberia: Former Chief Justice Scott's Family Denied Access to Daughter’s Corpse

Picture: Former Chief Justice Gloria Musa Scott at the headquarter of the Liberian National Police last week after being questioned regarding the unknown assassin(s) who invaded her home on February 23.

 

 

— Funeral parlor owners say the Minister of Justice, Frank Musah Dean, and Police Inspector General, Patrick Sudue, warned him not to allow anybody access to the corpse without their approval.

The family of former Chief Justice Gloria Musa Scott say they have been prevented from seeing the body of their daughter, Charloe Musu at the St. Moses Funeral Home on the Japan Freeway.

The family, according to a release, had gone to view the corpse of their daughter and to also hold consultation with the funeral home as to the way forward towards preliminary funeral requirements and arrangements.

“After waiting for a little over fifteen minutes, the head of St. Moses Funeral Home, Moses H. Ahossouhe, informed the family via mobile phone that he was not inclined to grant them access to the body on grounds that he (St. Moses) was under strict instruction from the Minister of Justice, Cllr. Frank Musah Dean and Police Inspector General, Patrick Sudue, not to allow anybody access to the corpse without their approval,” the family release said. 

The family was led to the funeral home by the aunty and uncle of the deceased, Victoria Nimely, and Bishop Julius C. Musu, who deposited the body on the evening of February 23, following her gruesome murder by an unknown assailant at the family's Virginia residence, on the night of February 22.

The family went to the funeral home on March 4, but were shocked and disappointed to learn from the funeral home authorities that they could not access the body of their “daughter.”

The family said St. Moses' response came as a deep surprise because the body was duly turned over to them by the Coroner of Montserrado County on February 27, following examination and, since then, there has been no change of the protocol to their knowledge.

They wondered how and why the Ministry of Justice and the police would take control of the corpse as quoted by St. Moses, without any reference to the bereaved family.

The family says it has already reported the matter to their team of lawyers for appropriate advice on the way forward.