The Liberia National Police (LNP) and the ruling Coalition for Democratic Change (CDC) are trading claims here surrounding an alleged invitation extended to CDC officials to assist the LNP with information on their partisans who allegedly flogged Deputy Police Chief for Operations Col. Marvin Sackor early this month.
In the presence of Rep. Moses Acarus Gray and CDC Chairman Mulbah Morlu, partisans allegedly flogged Col. Sackor at their party headquarters, as the victim tried to dialogue with the party over clashes with opposition supporters who were celebrating their candidate’s victory in the Montserrado Senatorial by – election.
Following public pressure and a move by some Senators to question police on a wave of violence here, the LNP claims it has written Rep. Gray and Chairman Morlu as persons of interest to assist with information on those who committed the act.
“We are asking them to assist us with information on those that carried on the act,” Police Spokesman Moses Carter told a press conference on Friday, 23 August.
According to Carter, the assault against Col. Sackor was done in the presence of Mr. Gray and Mr. Morlu, noting that it is from Col. Sackor’s statement that the two CDC officials have been invited.
Further, Carter claims that communication was dropped at the office of Mr. Morlu, but the latter allegedly raised contention as to his name being misspelled.
“So the communication was brought back and corrected. When our dispatcher took the communication back, Chairman Morlu was not in office. Meanwhile, our Deputy Inspector General for Crimes Service visited Chairman Morlu and placed a call to Hon. Gray, inviting them to appear at the Headquarters of the Liberia National Police,” Carter reveals.
Minutes after Carter’s press conference, Mr. Morlu reacted by questioning the police on what crime he committed that would warrant inviting him as a person of interest.“What crime did I commit? My best witness is the man they claimed was assaulted, Marvin Sackor,” Morlu claims.
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“You say you invited Acarus Gray, Honorable Acarus Gray, and I found out from him, it’s also a lie. You don’t treat people like that,” Morlu adds.He continues that in law enforcement, if you consider someone as a person of interest, it means that the person is suspected of committing a crime.
“I’m challenging Sackor, a man I respect to come up and support Patrick Sudue’s reckless comment,” Morlu says at his party headquarters.“Not a single day I raised my hands against a police officer, even when provoked. So why would I now … my own police that work for the government that we fought to elect?” Morlu argues.
He says any call by the police inviting him to an investigation will be graciously honored.But Morlu insists that to be invited by police as a person of interest “is a misplacement and mischaracterization of the phrase.”
Meanwhile, the police insist that they are requesting the appearance of Chairman Morlu and Rep. Gray at LNP headquarters not later than 12:00 noon on Monday, 26 August.Additionally, Carter discloses that three persons including suspects Romeo Nayonkon, Prince Kollie and Joseph Bropleh have been arrested in connection with the electoral violence in Montserrado County District #15.
District #15 remains a politically tense environment as the ruling party’s representative candidate Abu Kamara and opposition collaborating parties representative candidate Telia Urey battle for a seat at the Legislature.
Ms. Urey is the leading candidate, but she and supporters have suffered violent attacks at the hands of Mr. Kamara’s supporters.According to Mr. Carter, police have retrieved Ms. Urey’s laptop which was stolen from her vehicle during violence on Saturday, 17 August in District #15.Ms. Urey is the daughter of the chairman of the four collaborating opposition parties, Mr. Benoni Urey.By Winston W. Parley
