IPNews-Monrovia, Liberia- 30 January 2018:The Presiding Judge of the debt court at the Temple of Justice, Eva Mappy-Morgan has handed down a guilty verdict against Montserrado County Superintendent for her repeated failure to appear before the Commercial Court at the Temple of Justice to answer the charge of Action of Debt lawsuit filed against her by the management of East International Group for action of debt of US$63,002.28.
According to the charge sheet, the East Construction Company hired to construct the Soul Clinic Community road in District #4.
Presiding Judge Eva Mappy-Morgan ruled that 6 percent of the judgment amount of US$63,002.28, which is US$3,780.14, will be paid as statutory interest, while 25 percent of that same money, representing US$15,750.57, will be paid as attorney fees.
Judge Morgan said the 6 percent of the judgment amount will go as sheriff collection fees and the remaining US$59,222.14 will represent the final payment to the company.
According to Judge Morgan, before passing judgment, Supt. Brandy was cited on five separate occasions (September 7, 9, 19, 22 and 27, 2017) for the parties to appear for a pretrial conference that should have set the basis for the hearing of the matter, but the Superintendent and her legal team failed to honor all of those assignments.
Brandy and her legal team’s repeated failure to appear before the court, gave the company’s lead lawyer, Lawrence Yeakula, the opportunity by law to file a motion to rule the case to trial in the absence of the defendant, which Judge Morgan granted by ruling against Brandy on January 18, 2018.
In the court’s document dated July 19, 2017, Cllr. Yeakula filed an action of debt against Montserrado County Superintendent-designate Florence Brandy claiming US$55,199.82 as money she owed them.
The court record alleged that the company through its chairman, Cao Yunfeng, and defendant Brandy on December 9, 2015, entered into a contract for the rehabilitation of the Soul Clinic and Duport Road communities, including the back filling of the double culvert lines in District#4, Montserrado County, at the total cost of US$235,199.82.
During the construction process, the record showed that Brandy made a partial payment of US$180,000 against the total contract, leaving an outstanding balance of US$55,199.82, which she has not paid although the work is completed.
But when contacted, Montserrado County Development Superintendent Sylvester S. Lama stated to the Independent Probe that Superintendent Brandy does not personally owed East Construction rather Montserrado County development council for the company’s failure to construct the road in total contravention of specimens provided it by the County engineering team and refusal to do back filling and installed double culvert alongside the Soul Clinic and Duport Road communities, District#4, Montserrado County.
Lama said currently Montserrado County has already paid the East Construction Company Two Hundred Thousand United States dollars (USD 200.000.00), representing 80% of payment on the contract and until the work is completed the County will not make any payment to East Construction Company.
