Liberia: Koijee’s Bodyguard Testifies in Charloe Musu’s Murder Trial Today

Varlee Telleh, the bodyguard of Monrovia City Mayor Jefferson Koijee, is scheduled to testify today, December 4, at Criminal Court ‘A’ as a special witness for the defense in the ongoing trial of Charloe Musu’s murder.

Telleh, according to the court, will be presenting and testifying to his Orange GSM number (0777142113), which he allegedly used from February 21 to February 25, 2023. The court expects Telleh to provide information on who he may have contacted during that period, following the alleged murder of Charloe Musu at the residence of former Chief Justice Gloria Musu Scott on February 22. Telleh is a senior officer of the Monrovia City Police.

Furthermore, Orange and Lonestar GSM companies were also subpoenaed to explain the ownership and usage of Lonestar numbers 0880898722, 0886529330, and Orange GSM number 0776011848, which are linked to Cllr. Gloria Musu Scott, one of the three defendants in the case.

Their appearance to testify was a result of a request by the defense lawyers to find out, themselves, from these numbers whether Telleh played any role in the murder of Charloe Musu, on February 22, 2023.

The requests to have the GSM companies appear before the court were made by the defense lawyers to challenge the Liberian National Police’s investigation report, which cleared Telleh and Koijee of any involvement in the attack at Cllr. Scott’s house.

“Despite the report or investigation by the police, we want to find out for ourselves from the telephone numbers,  the role they played in Charloe’s murder conspiracy and raising false alarms to law enforcement officers,” the defense lawyers noted.

The defense says it wants to ascertain the role Telleh played in the alleged murder conspiracy and in raising false alarms to law enforcement officers by examining the telephone records. However, the prosecution strongly opposed Telleh’s appearance and the production of his telephone numbers, arguing that he and Koijee had already been investigated and cleared by the LNP.

Judge Roosevelt Willie denied the prosecution’s objections.

It should be noted that following Charloe’s death, Cllr. Jerome Verdier, former chairperson of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission, accused Koijee of being the mastermind behind the attack on Cllr. Scott’s home, which resulted in the death of her granddaughter. Verdier also provided additional information about the incident.

According to reports, Koijee allegedly escorted Varlee Telleh across the Liberia-Côte d’Ivoire border through Nimba County to avoid potential prosecution amidst growing calls for an impartial investigation.

Meanwhile, Criminal Court ‘A’ Judge Roosevelt Z. Willie had earlier granted the defense’s application to subpoena Mayor Koijee and Telleh.

The court’s decision is in response to defense lawyers’ request for Subpoena Duces Tecum and ad testificandum to be served on both men, but it is yet unclear when Mayor Koijee will be appearing in court as his bodyguard takes the stand today.