Justice Minister Cllr. Benedict Sannoh Wednesday disclosed that the Ministry of Justice has ordered an investigation of Redemption Hospital and Faith Clinic for their roles in the death of a rape victim in Brewerville.
Musu Fofana, 12, died on her way to seek care at the John F. Kennedy Memorial Hospital after the two health centers rejected her.
Justice Minister Cllr. Benedict Sannoh: “We have ordered an investigation to be done on Redemption Hospital and faith Clinic to know if they also contributed to the death of the victim.”
“The investigation would be conducted as soon as possible by investigators of the Ministry on the two hospitals. The Ministry of Justice has gathered that the two hospitals are in closeness of the incident and if they are linked to the death of the victim, they will be penalized.”
“We take rape seriously. The Ministry of Justice will work out modalities to prosecute the suspect and if the hospitals are also held liable, they would be prosecuted.”
The impending investigation by the Ministry of Justice follows concern raised by the family and others that the two hospitals denied the late Musu Fofana when her family took her for treatment there after she was raped.
At the same time, the police have not turned over the suspect to the court. The LNP was to turn over the suspect to the Monrovia City Court following the completion of its investigation into fatal incident.
Article 20 (f) states: “Every person arrested or detained shall be formally charged and presented before a court of competent jurisdiction within forty-eight hours. Should the court determine the existence of a prima facie case against the accused, it shall issue a formal writ of arrest setting out the charge or charges and shall provide for a speedy trial. There shall be no preventive detention.”
It has taken almost nine days since suspect Musa Kanneh was arrested after he allegedly raped the 12-year-old on Sunday, January 18, in the Brewerville community of Moulton Corner.
The suspect’s absence from the grounds of the Temple of Justice has raised serious alarm as legal experts and party litigants had gone to the ground to gather if the suspect was to appear at the court.
When contacted, the Monrovia Magisterial Court Judge Kennedy Peabody said: “I don’t have knowledge on the case and the court doesn’t know when the police will charge and send the suspect to court.”
“You know the procedure, the police need to charge the suspect before the magisterial court can hear the case, and also the court can’t force the LNP to charge the suspect. It is they who will bring their matter to court, and not for the court to run after them.”