GOL, family tussle over Harry Greaves body?

The Government of Liberia and family of the late former managing director of the Liberia Petroleum Refining Company, Harry Greaves, are reportedly tussling over the body of Mr. Greaves with the state arranging a second autopsy, while family members want the body for burial this Saturday, March 5th.

The NewDawn has gathered that the Government of Liberia had earlier asked family of the late Harry Greaves to sign a waiver, if they insisted on having the body, they would not go to court to challenge autopsy report released by the state.

The government is said to have sought the waiver prior to releasing the autopsy report by pathologists from the Nebraska Institute of Forensic Science. A team of government-hired pathologists from the Nebraska Forensic Institute based in the United States of America attributes the probable cause of death of Mr. Greaves to “Asphyxiation by salt water drowning.”

This paper is also receiving report the Government has asked a Liberian doctor studying forensic science in the United States to come to Liberia to help with the second autopsy on the body of Mr. Greaves despite the family desire to have him buried this weekend.

A very close family source disclosed to this paper Mr. Greaves should be buried on March 5, 2016, if the authorities released his remains to the family, but added the government is considering another autopsy.
“We will leave the government to do anything they want to do with the body; the day they finish with all their autopsies, we will bury him”, the source added.

The source however did not say whether the family consented to sign the alleged waiverbeing requested by the government.  But when contacted via mobile phone few days ago, Deputy Information Minister for Public Affairs, Isaac W. Jackson, denied having knowledge of waiver being sought from the Greaves family.

Minister Jackson instead, referred The NewDawn to the Minister of Justice, Cllr. Benedict Sannoh. When the Attorney-General was contacted Monday, 29 February via mobile phone, his line was switched off.
The widow of the late Harry Greaves, Mrs. Precious Andrews Greaves on Monday, 22 February expressed displeasure over the manner in which the Government of Liberia was proceeding with the investigation of her estranged husband’s death.

Speaking via mobile phone on the “Costa Show” last month, she described the investigation as unprofessional. She said it is unfortunate that the government would go ahead to investigate the death of Mr. Greaves without directly involving the family.

According to her, the family only gets informed about the government’s ongoing investigation thru media reports, which she vehemently denounced. Mrs. Greaves confirmed the government is about to bring into the country another pathologist to conduct a second autopsy on her late husband’s body.

Information Minister Lenn Eugene Nagbe, told Prime FM Monday investigators from the United States are in Liberia, probing the death of Mr. Greaves. Minister Nagbe said government presented a list of three pathologists to the Greaves family among which to choose one to carry out a second autopsy on the deceased’s body.

Speaking Friday, 18 February at a special press briefing in Monrovia, Justice Minister Benedict Sannoh had said the pathologist will review both the provisional autopsy report by the Nebraska Pathologists and an observatory report by doctors at the John F. Kennedy Medical Center on the body and then give professional opinion. 

Minister Sannoh appealed to family members of the deceased to work closely with officers of the Liberia National Police and the U.S security agents to adequately get to the bottom of the probe. –

 Alex – Edited by Jonathan Browne