Musah Dean Becomes Lawyer for Hans Williams’ Family

… Former Michael Justice Michael “Tipped” to Replace Gongloe, But

By: Bill K. Jarkloh

“As the purpose of the prosecution is not necessarily to convict, but to pursue the truth, and as the accused, persons are presume innocent until proven guilty in a court of competent jurisdiction, irrespective of public sentiments and opinion, we strongly believe that the Ministry of Justice under your administration will protect the rights of those charge now and during the process of the trial,” Cllr. F. Musah Dean has reminded the Ministry of Justice.

The Liberian jurist and legal practitioner was speaking in a letter of February 13, 2008 to the Justice Minister Philip A. Z. Banks announcing that his law firm is being hired to represent the legal interest of the Hans Williams family who are all arrested in connection with the sexual harassment and subsequent killing of little Angel Meideh Togba at the residence of the Williams.

In his February 12th, letter, Cllr. Dean alleged that one of his clients – Patrick Kollie – who was also arrested in connection with little Angel’s abused and killing, was tortured on Tuesday night, 12 February 2008, with the aimed of extracting confession from him.

“Those involved initially were identified by police codes R-9, and 117. And inquiry later revealed the names of Mr. Jabateh and Miss Itoka of the Liberian national Police Force,” Cllr. Dean indicated. He said the torture of his clients constitutes a serious violation of the rights of the accused, requesting that the Minister of Justice institute an investigation into the matter for the bearing of appropriate action against those responsible for the torture.

Cllr Dean is also requesting from the Ministry of Justice copies of all relevant investigative reports including analyses and findings of the two autopsies performed on the remains of the late little Angel.

This new development comes after a foreign pathologist who performed the second autopsy on the late little Angel Meideh Togba found and reported that the 13-year-old girl was sexually abused and harassed before her death, leading to the arrest of Angel’s guardians in connection to the killing of 13-year-old kid

Angel’s guardians, Hans Williams and his fiancée Mardea Payku, have hired the Cllr. Dean to defend them during litigation. This comes at the time the Minister of Justice has vowed to prosecute all those that are found in connection to the killing of little Angel at the end of the present ongoing investigation into the matter.

Already Hans William, Mardea and the grand mother and one Peter Kollie who lived with the Hans family have been nabbed in connection with the sexual abused of Angel and her strangulation to death.

Meanwhile, sources from the Ministry of Justice have hinted that former Associated Justice Michael Wilkins Wright has been tipped to be the Solicitor General of the Republic of Liberia. Our source said already, Justice Minister Banks have forwarded the name of Judge Wright to the Executive Mansion for appointment.

According to our sources, Solicitor Gongloe and the Minister of Justice have not been agreeing on the matter of policies thereby making the government to spent huge sums on prosecution. “They were always pretending in the public; they have been in disagreement on policy differences. The situation worsens by the sentiments that have risen up against Cllr. Tiawon Gongloe from the time he commented on the first autopsy report,” source hinted.

But when Cllr. Gongloe was contacted on the mobile phone, he said he was not at fault on findings contained in the first autopsy report. “Bill, you guys sit there and the media have been portraying as though I was the one that performed the autopsy. That is not the case; I just read what was submitted to use as findings – and if there is any fault, I am not responsible because I am not the medical man nor was I one of those that perform and came up with the findings,” Cllr. Gongloe, the Solicitor-General of Liberia, told me on the Mobile phone.

Angel's death was controversial

Actual cause for death 13-year-old Angel Meidah Togba was not known, but her guardians reported that she has hanged herself to death. The incident took place on November 30, 2007 at 7PM on the Old Road at the residence of Former Director General of the Civil Service Agency (GSA), Mr. Hans Williams, whose fiancé Mardea Payku and him were Angel’s guardians.

The deceased was an 8th grade student at the “Christ the King Catholic School’ on the Old Road. According to family sources, she was born on December 2, 1993 in New Georgia, Caldwell Montserrado County, and it said that Angel was expected to celebrate her birthday when she was “found dead”.

Information gathered by www.panwhan.com has it that the late Angel Togba was a close a niece of Madam Madia Paykue who is to be the wife of Mr. Williams. Reports further said Mardea had booked Hans Williams and little Angel in an affairs in the bathroom of the couple-to-be, and the reaction of Mardea to this illicit sexual affairs with the minor by her husband-to-be might have killed little Angel Togba.

Hans and fiancee charged with murder

First of two autopsies performed by a Liberian doctor and latter by a Ghana-based Cuban pathologists blamed the cause on suicide, but the latter found that little Angel Togba was raped and strangled to death, leading to the arrest of Mr. Hans Williams and Mardea Payku. They have been charged with murder and committed to the Monrovia Central Prison pending prosecution

Meanwhile, Mr. Namuinue S. Togba, the father of the deceased, regretted the incident. He said he had hesitated to give his daughter to Mardea and husband to be. According to him, said releasing his late daughter was never approved by him but the mother of the victim, also identified as Sue S. Togba.

“For almost five years Madia Paykue has been requesting for Meidah Togba to go and stay with her”, the victim’s father said. Mr. Togba told this paper that he is suspecting a foul play in his daughter death but did not say in detail.