Monrovia – Court delays can take a heavy psychological toll on both victims and the accused. The stress and uncertainty of years-long waits for justice often drive many to abandon their claims altogether. For rape victims, the need for prompt justice is even more urgent. Unfortunately, this urgency seems to have been lost in the case of the seven-year-old daughter of Nat Bayjay, Deputy Minister for Technical Services at the Ministry of Information, Cultural Affairs, and Tourism.
By: Victoria G. Wesseh
Bayjay’s daughter was reportedly sexually abused in 2020 at the Liberian Embassy in Abuja, Nigeria. At the time of the incident, Bayjay was serving as Minister Counsellor for Press and Public Affairs at the embassy, according to documents from the Juvenile Court for Montserrado County, which are in possession of this newspaper.
Court records reveal the case was indefinitely postponed following a September 20, 2022 communication from the Sexual Gender-Based Violence (SGBV) Crimes Unit of the Ministry of Justice (MoJ). The letter, signed by SGBV Chief Prosecutor Cllr. Kathleen P. Makor, informed Judge Lucrezia Thomas Anderson that the victim was unable to proceed with the case due to illness resulting from the sexual abuse. The letter further explained that the victim was in Nigeria seeking medical treatment.
Cllr. Makor requested that the court excuse the proceedings until the victim completes her treatment and returns to Liberia. However, the letter did not specify when the victim would return to resume the case.
The defense attorney, Cllr. Momolu G. Kandakai of the Gongloe and Associates Law Firm, objected to the delay, but Judge Thomas Anderson disregarded the concern.
This case was initially forwarded to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in 2021 by Ambassador Professor Al-Hassan Conteh of the Liberian Embassy in Abuja, following the conclusion of an administrative investigation. Bayjay had alleged that his daughter was abused by two minors, Alieu B. Sackor, 15, and Ambullah Massaquoi, 12, between September 2020 and April 2021.
Sackor and Massaquoi were charged with Corruption of Minors by the Liberia National Police (LNP) in November 2021, after they and their parents were summoned back to Liberia to stand trial. Since the September 2022 letter, however, the case has remained in limbo, leaving the victim to deal with ongoing psychological trauma. Meanwhile, the defendants, who pleaded not guilty during their initial court appearances, are still awaiting the resolution of the matter.
The case escalated when the victim reportedly revealed to her parents on April 17, 2021, that she had been repeatedly sexually abused by a juvenile in a vacated room on the ground floor of the Liberian Embassy in Abuja. She explained that the abuse occurred both anally and vaginally. When asked why she had not reported the incidents earlier, she stated that she had informed her two sisters, who advised her not to report the abuse in order to maintain cordial relations between the families.
Bayjay stated that his daughter underwent medical examinations and treatment at three hospitals in Nigeria, as well as at the Hope of Women Hospital in Liberia, where it was confirmed that she had been raped.
In response, Cllr. Kandakai requested that the court dismiss the charges against the defendants. He argued that it was implausible for a seven-year-old to endure repeated sexual abuse from September 2020 to April 2021 without immediate detection by her parents, especially by the mother who cared for the child daily.
Kandakai further contended that it was unlikely for a seven-year-old to accurately recall such events over the extended period, suggesting that the child may have been influenced by one of her parents.
Additionally, Kandakai challenged the validity of the medical reports from Nigeria, claiming they did not meet the minimum requirements for admissibility under the October 5, 1961 Apostille Hague Convention, to which Liberia is a signatory. He argued that the medical reports should have been authenticated by the Consular Section of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Nigeria to be considered valid evidence in Liberia.
Without this authentication, Kandakai asserted that the reports were inadmissible in the court proceedings.
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