Judge Roosevelt Z. Willie of Criminal Court ‘A’ at the Temple of Justice in Monrovia on Wednesday, October 25, 2023, subpoenaed authority from the Liberia Medical and Dental Association to provide information regarding the process of issuing a Death Certificates from hospitals wherein that deceased person was seen by a medical personnel that is not a Medical Doctor.

Judge Willie ordered the communication to be issued out on one of the authorities of the Liberia Medical and Dental Association to appear to testify today, October 26, 2023.

The Judge’s decision on yesterday came as a result of one of state lawyers who told court that the subpoenaed ad testfificadum prayed for during the last sitting was subsequently issued by the Court that the Medical Doctor in person of Dr. Guilavagui Mamady is in the vicinity of the Court; however, he was not personally the one who attended to the deceased rather it was his Physician Assistant.

Government lawyers requested the court to grant the Physician Assistant between 30 to 45 minutes to allow him testify to the Medical Records of the late Charloe Musu.

Prosecution further stated that Dr. Mamady had to sign the Death Certificate because a Physician Assistant who is not a Medical Doctor cannot sign a death certificate and so he had to sign the Death Certificate.

Prosecution further told the Court that Dr. Mamady cannot communicate in English fluently and therefore for he to attest or confirm or affirm any comments especially as it relates to the signing of the Death Certificate; as such,  prayed the court to write the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to provide an interpreter who is fluent in the French language for the said purpose.

But In resistance to the submission, defense counsel told the court to deny the entire application as made by the prosecution because, the Death Certificate as provided by Dr. Mamady says that he was the one who medically attended to Charloe Musu; therefore, he cannot say that he did not attend or did not see the deceased which is indicated on the Death Certificate.

 Defense Counsel further argued that medically or professionally it is only a Medical Doctor who has seen a victim who later died that can sign the Death Certificate and further went on to say that it has to be approved by the Medical Director of the Institution,

Defense Counsel also argued that the Physician Assistant cannot in fact testify in these proceedings because the name of that physician assistant is not in the list of witnesses provided to them.