-Koijee says, as he drags Kuku Dorbor to court
Monrovia City Mayor, Jefferson T. Koijee, has dragged former Montsereado County District #6 Representative, Cllr. Kuku Y. Dorbor, to Court, for what he sees as character assassination, following an allegation about her being threatened by the Mayor of the City of Monrovia.
In a letter of complaint dated December 27, 2023, and addressed to Her Honor Sie-A-Nyene Yuoh, Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of Liberia, Koijee noted: “Your honor, I crave your indulgence that Cllr. Dorbor provides more explanation on this matter and avails the necessary evidence that she has to prove that I made such a statement as my interest is in clearing my name. The allegations are untrue and Cllr. Dorbor should be made to prove her accusations as she appears to directly implicate the Judge of Criminal Court “A” as a witness in her contention when she avers that I made such a statement in the presence of the judge (See Annex 1).”
Koijee: “It is such wild utterances left unchecked and allowed to fester that tend to be considered ‘’truths” by an already gullible society usually unwilling to go beyond what they read in the headlines. These kinds of dangerous public conjecturing by Cllr. Dorbor and many others against my character as we have now observed, repeated over and over tend always to find expression in the same form – anonymous, far-from-authoritative sources, un-fact-checked articles, and opportunistic journalism making up stories about me.”
He says- “We are witnessing a reckoning — and dismantling — of the accepted bias, subtle language, and both overt and discreet systems of oppression that are directly at odds with the spirit of the Liberian judicial experience. When a privileged individual like former Montserrado County Representative Cllr. Dorbor assumes “a priori” without any proof or needs to prove, that I uttered a threatening comment towards her and immediately embarks on a fatuous media rant based simply on phantasms she made up, it inks a disturbing precedent for our society, especially within the judicial ecosystem. Her assumptions are concocted on the basis that no analysis or research is necessary to prove her claim and none will be done to disprove it.”
Koijee: “I extend heartfelt greetings and consider it very important to communicate a note of concern to Your Honor about an allegation published in an online article of the Daily Observer1 on December 14, 2023, in which Cllr. Kuku Dorbor states that I threatened her life. Cllr. Dorbor, according to the online publication indicates that “for Koijee to threaten my life in court in front of the presiding judge saying I will see is not a joke and can’t be taken lightly”. This story was published without seeking my view and the publisher made no effort to contact me to either corroborate or retort her allegations against me. Your honor, I have waited till today in anticipation that Cllr. Dorbor would have adduced evidence to back her wild allegation against me, but unfortunately, she has been unable to do so. Hence, I believe at this point it is only prudent to seek your honor’s intervention in this matter being investigated. To the best of my recollection, Your Honor, on December 13, 2023, I was present in Criminal Court “A” and seated on the witness stand. Directly facing me were the two Clerks of Court with the Honorable Judge on his raised dais behind them.”
“Cllr. Dorbor on the other hand, was seated away from me in the front row of the Court, adjacent to and amid courtroom journalists, but not in the Bar with the other Counsels. It beats logical reasoning and deductive constructions for the Clerks of Court and recorders who were diligently giving me attention and transcribing all my words to miss the alleged statement, but somehow Cllr. Dorbor who was seated far away from me claimed to hear such from where she was sitting. Attached is the transcript of the court (See Annex 1) for your kind reference your honor which does not reference such statements.”
Koijee: “Cllr. Dorbor’s jaw-dropping and malignant claims are alarming and considering their timing, are also very pernicious to my person and venture into the uncanny territory of an assassination on my hard-earned reputation. In her zest to publish this wholly fallacious account of events, Cllr Dorbor failed to fully acknowledge the significance of the court transcripts as it appears the objective was not remotely related to her safety but rather primarily about landing another public swipe at my reputation. Your honor, I refuse to believe that any of this is a product of mental laziness when the reality is not so certain. This has always been the plan- malign, stigmatize, defame, slander, and denigrate me through such baseless accusations. Consequently, it exposes the odious and calculated ploy meant to shut me up: this is supposed to disqualify and silence me, it is supposed to remove me of sorts. All it points to, in this instance, is the mere discomfort a well-placed, entitled woman feels with the space that I am taking – essentially my role in helping bring the case to a logical conclusion. Your Honor, using the tool of historical hindsight, one has to reflect on my public record of assisting, in fact leading efforts to uncover truths and confronting the mendacity of injustice and human rights abuses. Going as far back as 2006 in my role then as a national youth and student activist, I am on the record for taking up and championing the cause of justice for women and children.”
He referenced: “I built an alliance with Bernice Freeman and others from the Women in Peace Building Network (WIPNET) to achieve this. I continued my quest for justice for another victim of a mysterious death, a 7th grader named Alvin Karbiah Davies of the J.L. Gibson Memorial School who on Newport Street met his gruesome demise on Christmas day,2008. He says Cllr. Dorbor should be able to recall, this is because he says: “She was a lawmaker then when I led a coalition of students, civil society practitioners, and other human rights activists (Liberian Children Parliament, WIPNET, Federation of Liberian Youth, etc) on the grounds of the Capitol carrying the casket bearing the mortal remains of Alvin Karbiah Davies (see Annex 2). There we were constrained to remind national leaders of their duties to protect our generation from the evil of secret killings which were being left unpunished due to the failure of the national government to conduct an autopsy to ascertain the cause of death, and left said casket in the Rotunda before government could act.
Another campaign for justice and ensuring fair play in our society was for little Angel Togba (late), aged 13, an 8th grader from the Christ the King Catholic High School who died under mysterious circumstances on November 30th, 2007 on the Old Road in Monrovia. As a point of reference, I worked with the former Minister of Justice and recently retired Associate Justice Philip A.Z. Banks, who is well versed with my public records of advocacy and activism for the rights of the society’s voiceless.”
Koijee: “I championed this cause and many others to the rightful shores of judicial relief. Justice was served and that has been my mantra, a philosophy that I am guided by and live for. During these times I was fighting for justice, raising issues of human rights and injustices, and actively involved in championing the rights of women and children in this country, Cllr. Kuku Dorbor was a legislator representing then District 2, Montserrado County on the Liberty Party ticket in the 52nd National Legislature, benefitting from the largesse of the system that shielded the powerful and was uninterested in protecting the weak. This explains why I take no pleasure in entertaining accusations from someone with credentials that bear no equivalency with my record as a defender and protector of the basic human rights of Liberians.”
He says- “I want to conclude with these reflections, your honor. The general thinking for many is that when the legend beats the facts, run with the legend. Cllr. Dorbor chose to run with the legend in this case. Meanwhile, a good man’s reputation lies in ruins. There are lessons to be learned here. Firstly, she is very aware that it is all too easy for the public to believe lies about people, especially successful ones. Lies take achievers down a few notches, and we like to hear that. And secondly, she knows that if a lie is repeated often enough, it becomes accepted as fact, especially in Liberia. This has consequences because lies are the source of much of the world’s evil – like the evil of destroying a man’s legacy; in this case, a legacy that should be recognized, or at the very least left undisturbed or distorted.”
“Growing up, we are taught that lying is bad. We are taught that lying could hurt people’s feelings and that it could get you in more trouble than just telling the truth. As true as that may be, some believe that lying seems better in some situations rather than telling the truth. Many people tell lies to get them through their everyday lives and careers whether it is little white lies, omission, or delusional lying. Lying has proven to harm the way the brain functions, especially in the minds of compulsive liars.”
Koijee: “Your Honor, Cllr Dorbor lied on my person compulsively by restructuring events (changing up what happened in court for her benefit) and by fabrication (plainly making up a story to suit her objectives). I sincerely hope she has proof of what she is alleging as I along with many others who consumed that article will be very interested in her provision of unadulterated evidence to substantiate her claim as soon as possible. The conduct of Cllr. Kuku Dorbor was meditated, unethical, and endangers my already injured reputation. As a lawyer, Cllr. Dorbor knows that opinions on proceedings before the courts are not to be publicized, under the doctrines of lis pendis and sub judici. Yet, this was exactly what she engaged in when she took to the media on this issue. Records of her disturbing pattern of lying can be easily found in Criminal Court “A” where Cllr. Dorbor has been held in contempt of court for also lying about the character of His Honor Judge Roosevelt Willie on a radio talk show and also in the print media.”
“This kind of conduct on the part of lawyers brings the judiciary’s reputation into question for which I am requesting an investigation by your office into the action and conduct of Cllr. Dorbor against me. Your honor, I trust you will do the needful as I seek judicious relief on this matter at your kind convenience.”
