Monrovia – Mr. Alexander Cummings, chair of the four-party opposition Collaborating Political Parties(CPP) has called on the Government of Liberia to speedily and impartially investigate the mysterious deaths of three employees of the Liberia Revenue Authority.
“We are concerned about the wave of fear and insecurity creeping in our society, given the mysterious deaths of Matthew Innis, Albert Peters, Gifty Lama, and George Fahnboto. Let us be reminded that fear and insecurity undermine the social cohesion of any society and upends the foundations for socio-economic development. We hope this government will take these incidents very seriously and hold any perpetrator, if found, to account.”
Mr. Alexander B. Cummings, Collaborating Political Parties
Speaking Tuesday after speaking with Mrs. Beatrice Peters, wife of the late Albert Peters, who was found dead in his vehicle along with his colleague from the LRA, Mrs. Gifty Lama, Mr. Cummings said the deaths raises concerns about the state of security in Liberia.
In addition to the death of Mr. Peters and Madam Lama, another employee of the LRA, George Fahnboto, also in the auditing department, was involved in an accident Sunday.
Said Mr. Cummings: “We are concerned about the wave of fear and insecurity creeping in our society, given the mysterious deaths of Matthew Innis, Albert Peters, Gifty Lama, and George Fahnboto. Let us be reminded that fear and insecurity undermine the social cohesion of any society and upends the foundations for socio-economic development. We hope this government will take these incidents very seriously and hold any perpetrator, if found, to account.”
Mr. Cummings’ comments came 24 hours after he spoke with Mrs. Albert Peters, widow of the fallen LRA auditor. “Yesterday, I also spoke with the husband of Mrs. Gifty Lama, Mr. Sylvester Lama. During both phone calls, I expressed my sympathy to the bereaved spouses for their irreparable loss and encouraged them to remain strong, courageous, and resilient during this difficult period. It has been established that Albert and Gifty were consummate professionals who were hardworking and dedicated to their duty. It is my hope that their spouses and families would find comfort and hope in the biblical truth that the Good Lord has not forgotten nor neglected them.”
The CPP leader has meanwhile urging all Liberians to honor the memory of the deceased persons by respecting the privacy of their respective families and praying for their well-being.
The CPP leader’s comments came moments after the government through the Ministry of Justice, ordered that autopsies be performed on the remains of Mr. Peters and Mrs. Lamas.
A statement Tuesday said the decision followed a meeting at the Ministry of Justice, with the families of the deceased to update them on the state of the investigation. The Minister of Justice and Attorney General Frank Musa Dean directed that representatives of the families be allowed at every stage of the autopsy exercise.
The families, according to Minister Dean, are also availed the option of bringing in pathologists of their choosing to participate in the examination or conduct an independent examination, as government emphasizes its determination to conduct an open and impartial investigation in order to get to the cause of the unexplained deaths.
Meanwhile, as the investigation unfolds, the public is urged to remain calm and refrain from conjectures that could serve no useful purpose, but to undermine the process.