Monrovia — Investigators of the Women and Children Protection Section have disclosed that Mr. Augustine A. Alieu, the National Director of SOS Children Village in Liberia has been cleared for alleged rape charge due to what they termed as lack of evidence.
Speaking at the Ministry of Information’s regular press briefing Tuesday, the Assistant Commissioner of Police and Chief of the Women and Children Protection Section Madam Susie T. Teller Bility said the victim had provided inconsistent birth dates.
Bility added: “The allegation of rape against Augustine A. Alieu was unfounded. In view of the facts and circumstances established during the investigation the investigators have resolved to exonerate Augustine Alieu from the allegation of the rape levied against him due to lack of evidence.”
According to the police report, Mr. Alieu was accused by one Saye Maye Cole and the current SOS Children’s Villages authorities of raping a 16-year-old girl who used to be in the SOS safe home in Buchanan until early 2021 when she was reunited with her biological parents.
After the alleged rape incident was reported, the Ministry of Gender, Children and Social Protection condemned the act and welcome the investigation. The survivor was taken to a ‘One Stop Center’ for medical check-up and treatment. She also underwent psychosocial counseling by the Ministry’s Social Workers.
According to ACP Telleh-Bility, the victim who name cannot be mentioned because she is a minor initially asserted that she was sexually abused by Mr. Alieu at the A’La Lagune Hotel in Congo Town on October 3, 2021.
However, the victim later refuted her own assertion and stated that Alieu abused her at his Congo Town residence on October 3, 2021.
She said: “The victim’s statements as to the place suspect Alieu sexually abused her is inconsistent. The victim consistently maintained that suspect Augustine A. Alieu sexually abused her on October 3, 2021 at night hour.”
ACP Telleh-Bility added that suspect Alieu departed Liberia via the Robert International Airport in the morning hours on October 3 and arrived at the Jomo Kenyatta International Airport in Kenya on the same October 3, 2021 as indicated in his ECOWAS Passport and Liberia Immigration Service digital records from the Robert International Airport.
Madam Bility said: “The victim’s description of suspect Alieu’s bedroom is a complete mismatch. Medical report from Hope for Women international SGBV one-stop center confirmed that she was fully pregnant at the time of the examination in April.”
“The victim gave birth to a male child on July 20, 2022. The DNA result obtained from the John F. Kennedy Memorial Hospital established that the victim is the biological mother of the baby with a 99.99 probability.” She added: “The DNA result also obtained from the John F. Kennedy Memorial Hospital through the Minister of Justice Hon. Musa F. Dean established that Augustine A. Alieu is excluded, not the father of the Baby because the probability is 0.00 percent.”