Following accusation linking him to the recent attack on the home of Former Justice Musu Scott, Monrovia City Mayor, Jefferson Koijee has denied any involvement into the attack, thus describing the allegation as “false and misleading.”
Major Koijee, alongside a patrol of of the Monrovia City Police, Varlee Talleh and his lawyer, yesterday, February 1, 2023 appeared at the headquarters of the Liberia National Police for interrogation after being declared as “person of interest” by the Police Inspector General, Patrick Sudue.
However, IG Sudue appearing before members of the Liberian Senate recently announced that both Mayor Koijee and officer Tarlleh was person of interest in connection to the attack after being quizzed by Senators about the police progress made so far in their investigation concerning the attack.
IG Sudue before the Senators further that his decision was triggered as a result of the allegation from the Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC) former chairman, Cllr. Jerome Verdier on a local radio station which links both Mayor Koijee and officer Tarlleh to the attack.
But addressing a team of journalist during his appearance at the LNP Headquarters in Monrovia, Koijee further denied the allegations that he masterminded an attack on the life of former Justice Scott, stressing, “These claims are false and misleading.”
The Coalition of Democratic Change (CDC) Secretary General who expressed his sympathy to the bereaved family further disclosed that he was willing to relinquish all of his rights as Mayor in order to answer any questions posed by law enforcement agencies or courts.
“I feel very saddened over the loss of the daughter of the former Chief Justice. But I am innocent and this is why I am willing to add US$5000 to the Police US$5000, making the total amount to US$10,000 for anyone who will bring the evidence or identify the real murderer of the little girl,” the Mayor said.
Koijee noted that he led struggles in Liberia when he was a student leader, mainly in 2008 when little Angel Tokpah was found dead in the home of her guardians she lived with.
He added, “This is why I have waived my right as a Mayor to come and respond to the call of the Police. This effort is to ensure that whosoever the perpetrator is, that perpetrator must be revealed and let justice be served. Police said US$5000 as a bounty for finding the culprit but I say US$10,000. I will add US$5000 to the amount to find the doer.”
Meanwhile, Varlee Tarleh an officer of the MCC police who was also accused by Cllr. Verdier of being instructed by Mayor Koijee to carry on the attack on former Justice Scott home at same time also denied his involvement.
He said he has been away from Brewerville, the community in which Scott lives for a long time and he was nowhere around the place when the incident occurred. “From the 1st of this month (February) till today (yesterday) I have been at the City Hall. I have not gone anywhere.”
“I have been sleeping there. I got the information through the media that I was involved in the killing of someone. The woman you people are talking about, I don’t even know her. I don’t know her house, I don’t live there,” he said.
Tarleh further revealed that though, he used to work as a teacher at an Arabic-English school in Banjor, Brewerville but lived by then on 7th Street in Sinkor and returned to his Sinkor residence each day he retired from his teaching job.
“It is propaganda, and it is my good frined Sheik Sackor that is carriying my profile to Cllr. Jerome Verdier. Sackor has been with me since 1994. He is a BM or black money man in Guinea.
He escaped from Guinea and came to Voinjama in 1994. He fought the war with me from 1994 to 1995, including the April 6 war. I knew Mayor Koijee from nowhere. It was Sackor who held my hand and carried me to Koijee,” he added.
