Koijee denies role in attack against Cllr. Scott
By Lewis S Teh
Monrovia Mayor and ruling Coalition for Democratic Change (CDC) Secretary General Jefferson T. Koijee says he is not involved in the attacks against former Chief Justice Gloria Musu Scott and her daughter’s gruesome murder.
On Saturday, 25 February 2023, Cllr. Scott issued a statement detailing how attackers attempted to assassinate her, murdered her daughter, and then wounded other residents of her house in Brewerville Wednesday night, 22 February.
She said this gruesome incident came after she reported to the police and the Minister of Justice two previous attacks in a row on her residence this month.
But the former Chief Justice said authorities took no action to prevent the third incident which resulted in her daughter’s brutal murder before her siblings.
In the wake of the tragedy, Liberia’s former Truth and Reconciliation boss Cllr. Jerome Verdier last week accused Mr. Varlee Telleh, the Deputy City Police Director, of allegedly attacking the former Chief Justice. Verdier alleged that Koijee ordered the attack.
But Koijee refuted the claim during a press conference held Friday, 24 February, saying he had no history of sharing blood in the country.
“I have absolutely no history of even sharing the blood of a chicken, lest to talk about a human being,” said Mr. Koijee.
“But again, [a] character has its own way of instilling fear in people. I guess this should be the reason behind his accusations,” he claimed.
He said those who are making these unfounded claims are people who think the only shortcut to the country’s presidency is to malign people like him with falsehood.
“People like Verdier have spent over the years finding lies to malign me, but every time he does [so], the truth can defeat him,” said Koijee.
“We have consulted our lawyers – both at home and abroad – to get him to court so he can prove some of those lies and innuendo,” Koijee continued.
He called on the CDC-led government through the Justice Minister to take the case very seriously because it’s becoming a systemic attack on the governance system.
“We know very well that once you threaten peace and stability of the U.S, wherever you are, the U.S gets concerned and I hope they can do the same for Liberia when people like Verdier are using the U.S soil to undermine the peace of a country the U.S has invested a lot [in],” Koijee noted.
“We hope the Foreign Affairs Minister can reach out as well because this borders on the reputation of our country, most especially when Verdier is also accusing the President of this country.”
Meanwhile, Koijee has vowed to take legal action against the former TRC boss for maligning his character.
He said contact has been made with his legal team here and in the United States to pursue legal action against Cllr. Verdier.
