Liberia’s Supreme Court has acquitted former Justice Minister and Chief Justice Gloria Maya Musu-Scott of the murder of her niece, Charlotte Musu, after nearly eight months of imprisonment.
The 70-year-old, along with three female relatives, had been sentenced to life in prison for the brutal killing of 29-year-old Musu in February 2023.
The case captivated the nation, as Musu-Scott, a prominent figure in Liberia’s legal and political spheres, had recently secured a landmark victory against the electoral commission as part of the opposition party’s legal team. Her conviction sent shockwaves across the country.
Upon their release, a jubilant crowd gathered outside the jail to greet Musu-Scott and her relatives. While rejoicing in their freedom, Musu-Scott expressed deep concerns about Liberia’s justice system, stating, “There are a lot of innocent persons in jail in this republic. So I say thank you to the lawyers. But I say to them, there is still work to be done.”
Musu-Scott, who served as Liberia’s Justice Minister and later as Chief Justice until her retirement in 2003, transitioned to politics and represented Maryland County as a lawmaker until 2012. She remained active in the Unity Party, whose leader, Joseph Boakai, was elected president in January. Her legal expertise had been instrumental in challenging the electoral commission’s refusal to allow parties access to the voters’ roll.
The former chief justice had consistently denied the murder charges, maintaining that her niece was killed by an “assassin” who had entered her home in Monrovia. However, a lower court found Musu-Scott and her relatives guilty of murder, conspiracy, and filing a false police report, leading to their life sentences in January.
In the appeal verdict delivered on Wednesday, Chief Justice Sie-A-Nyene Yuoh ruled that the state had failed to provide sufficient evidence to link Musu-Scott and her relatives to the crime. “The state did not meet the burden of proof to warrant the conviction of the defendants. Therefore, the defendants are hereby acquitted of the crimes of murder, criminal conspiracy… as charged in the indictment,” Justice Yuoh stated.
The Supreme Court’s decision highlighted the prosecution’s reliance on circumstantial evidence, which fell short of identifying the actual perpetrator of the crime.
Women’s rights groups, including the Women Non-Governmental Organizations Secretariat Of Liberia (Wongosol), have expressed concern over the acquittal, urging that Charlotte Musu’s case not be forgotten. In a statement, Wongosol emphasized that the acquittal had “reopened wounds and ignited a sense of urgency to seek true justice” for the murdered woman, adding, “Justice cannot be sacrificed for the sake of the wrongly accused.”
The group also noted the need for support to help the acquitted women rebuild their lives after enduring immense suffering during their wrongful imprisonment.
