— But Says, Officer Wamah Claimed of Him Admitted To shooting is False
By: Jacqueline Lucia Dennis
IPNEWS-Monrovia: Patrick Kollie, a former Executive Protection Service (EPS) agent and bodyguard to former President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf and also current President George Weah, assigned at the National Port Authority (NPA) prior being indicted on the charge of murder and going to pre-trial detention, on Friday December 9, 2022 took the witness stand in his own defense and told the court that during his investigation with the Liberia National Police (LNP) headed by Jerry Wamah, at no time did he admit to firing his gun, as it was alleged by Jerry Wamah of the Crime Services Department and Homicide of the LNP when he testified as prosecution fourth witness.
Defendant Kollie taking the witness stand as defense first witness, informed the court and jury that it was during a tussle between him and some alleged criminal who attacked him while en route to his house on the Police Academy road that his assigned gun discharged.
Defense witness Kollie narrated to the court and jury that on July 4, 2022 at about 12pm while en route to his house in Police Academy Community, he encountered some group of guys who had placed road block, specifically a long bench to apparently prevent vehicular movement. According to him, he got down from his car to remove the bench that was placed on the road, within that process of removing the bench he saw group of guys (people) coming towards him. He further said when they came closer they requested money from him or he should give them something it was in that process one of them (unknown persons) slapped him and noticed that he had gun and they tried to seize his gun. According to him, he could not give away his assigned gun and so they started to tussle over his weapon and in the process the gun discharged and those guys started to run and he (Kollie) picked his gun from the ground and got into his car.
Former EPS agent Patrick Kollie on trial for alleged murder
He said while driving off the scene he heard a lady voice that her boyfriend had been shot, so what came on his mind was to go to the Police Academy fence or to the headquarter of the LNP to tell them about what occurred, but when he got at the fence of the academy it was locked.
According to him, he left the crime scene and contacted Liberia National Police Deputy Inspector General for Operations, Melvin Sackor whose police code is: 102, and told him what has happened, and but Deputy IG Sackor (102) told him to wait there and he would call him (Kollie) back. He then said later, Deputy IG Sackor (102) came and they went at the Liberia National Police Central Headquarter on Capitol Hill, where the Police investigated him and took statements.
Defendant Kollie stated that the reason he decided to contact the LNP was based on the voice of a lady who he heard saying that her boyfriend has been shot.
Kollie stressed, while at Central Police Headquarters, they asked his to turn his weapon over and he Kollie turned his arm to the Deputy Police Inspector General for Crime Services with the code:103 and demanded that they should check the ammunition (rounds) in the gun, which they did and there were fourteen rounds in it.
Following the discharge of witness Kollie from the stand, one of the Counsels for the defendant, Jimmy Saah Bombo prayed the court for several subpoenas, to include, documents or testimony from witnesses of the grand jury, some of the documents from preliminary examination conducted at the Monrovia City Court, to subpoena Orange Liberia and Lonestar MTN to produce the logs showing calls made between defendant Kollie and Police Deputy Inspector General for Operations, Melvin Sackor, while prosecution also prayed the court to deny the submission made by the defense, saying that the Police 102 should not come and testify since in fact he is a government official and cannot testify or provide evidence adduced as such.
However, Judge Willie denied the said objection by the prosecution and granted the defense request that the call logs be subpoenaed from the both GSM companies – ORANGE Liberia and Lone Star MTN – numbers as stated beginning July 3 -4 2022. The call logs will enable the court to find out whether or not there was any call made between defendant Kollie and Deputy Police IG Sackor on any of those dates. The clerk was then ordered to do a communication to the both GSM Companies and submit the call logs for each of the GSM companies on Wednesday, December 14, 2022.
