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Liberia: Williams, Paykue Families Write Justice Minister
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The Analyst (Monrovia)
7 March 2008
Posted to the web 7 March 2008
The families of accused Hans Williams and Madea Paykue have written Justice Minister Cllr. Philip Banks expressing concerns over the manner in which they claim the case is being handled. They began their letters with words of consolation and condolences to the families and friends of Angel Tokpah and prayed that her soul rests in peace.
They expressed the hope that those behind this cowardly and most barbaric act be apprehended and tried in the court of law and justly punished. In their letter dated March 5, 2008, the families however said they are deeply troubled by the manner in which the Justice Minister is handling this case.
They cited occurrences from the arrest of Hans and Madea, overt withholding of data from the defense team, and your lack of observance of the law that the accused are innocent until proven guilty beyond all reasonable doubts.
According to the two families of the accused murderers, they had hoped that the minister, whom they say is a man of training and exposure, would use internationally acceptable standards, as well as adhere to the letter of law, in handling the accused in this case.
They claimed that he instead has chosen the "less stellar path of error to buy into public sentiments, and treat our relatives as convicts, long before the matter is adjudicated. By so doing, you have unfairly dragged our families' name through the mud."
They also claimed in their letter under the signature of Daniel Tor who in the USA that the Minister's actions represent grave embarrassment to the Liberia judicial process in general and himself in particular.
"Since it is under your watch as the Minister of Justice that this show of mediocrity and sloppiness is unfolding, not only before the eyes of the Liberian people, but those of the entire world.
"In all this you have not shown, or you refuse, to disclose a single shred of evidence that can specifically point to Hans or Madea as the perpetrators of this heinous deed.
"Counselor Banks, we need not remind you that the burden of proof is on you. You, as the Minister of Justice, should have championed the cause of justice in Liberia by seeking to discover the perpetrators and the true nature of this crime, through DNA and finger print analysis".
"But you've chosen to build your case on a house of cards, and by not pursuing the DNA evidence, have effectively denied our relatives their rights to a fair tria"l.
"This is not the way things should be done in this new Liberia that we all should be excited about," the letter quoted the families as saying. They say the minister has placed the accused (Hans Williams and Madea Paykue) among the ranks of condemned criminals, held in those terrible jail cells, and subjected to those inhumane conditions.
They said the Minister is using his power to deny them due process in the name of expediency. In the meantime, they are calling for the immediate release Hans Williams and Madea Paykue, in place of house arrest, where according to them, their family members can seek medical attention while you conduct DNA and fingerprint investigations.
They also want the minister disclose to their (accused) lawyers all evidence that points to them as the perpetrators of the crime. Williams and Paykue were arrested and detained following the last autopsy conducted by an international pathologist who pointed out foul play in the death of late Angel Tokpah.
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Based on the weight and magnitude of the autopsy evidence, the Liberian government without ordered the arrest of the fiancé and fiancée and charged with murder.
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