IPNEWS: The former ruling party of Liberia, the ‘Grand Old True Whig Party’ has filed a Ten Billion United States Dollars lawsuit against the current government of President George Manneh Weah for allegedly seizing its properties including the E.J. Roye Building in central Monrovia.
Addressing a news conference in Monrovia on Monday, December 6, 2021, the legal team of the party said the Liberian government has violated the rights of members of the former ruling party for allegedly seizing its properties without evoking the legal instruments required by law.
The party said it is craving the ECOWAS Court’s intervention in the case against the Liberian government in order to regain its properties around the country that have been reportedly seized by the government of Liberia under the watchful eyes of President George Manneh Weah, which has denied the party of its operations.
There has been no immediate response by the government of Liberia on this latest report. IPNEWS is making frantic efforts with relevant government Ministries and Agencies.
It may be recalled in September 2017, Civil Law Court “B” Judge J. Boima Kontoe has granted government’s plea to dismiss pre – war ruling True Whig Party (TWP’s) request to return to it the E.J. Roye building seized by the People’s Redemption Council (PRC) government following a coup against president William R. Tolbert’s government.
Authorities at the Ministry of Justice battled against TWP counsels over the ownership of the property that had been used as TWP headquarters prior to its seizure by the PRC.
In making their case to maintain ownership of the structure, government lawyers including Solicitor General Cllr. Betty Lamin Blamo reminded the Court that the entire E.J. Roye building was confiscated by the PRC government under Decree #11 in 1980 following a coup d’etat that overthrew late President William R. Tolbert, Jr’s government.
The government says by virtue of the confiscation, the TWP was divested of the building and its title immediately vested in government. The State recounts that Article 97 of the 1986 Constitution expressly legitimized the Decree promulgated by the PRC.
In so doing, the authorities said there was a mandate that no executive, legislative, judicial or administrative actions taken by the PRC or any persons whether military or civilians in the name of the council pursuant to any of its decrees shall be questioned in any proceedings whatsoever.
Government continues that Article 97 also states that “it shall not be lawful for any court or other tribunal to make any order or grant any remedy or relief in respect of any such act.”
The State lawyers say the court lacks the power to question PRC Decree #11 or to give any orders or grant any remedy or relief in respect to the request made by the TWP.
They argued that a referendum held on 3 July 1984 on the Liberian Constitution, approved by 98.6 percent of voters with a turnout of 82 percent. During such time, government says Liberians decided that the PRC decrees shall not be questioned in any court or proceedings of whatever nature within Liberia.
TWP in response claimed that Article 97 of the 1986 Constitution does not cover real property, arguing that the confiscation of the property on 12 April 1980 was transitory in possession and did not convey any title deed to a third party.
TWP wonders why government allegedly requested original warranty deed from the party in a MoU if it claims to own the property where the party had its headquarters.
They also questioned the logic of agreeing to pay a gratuitous sum of US$225,000 of taxpayers’ money to those it dealt with and to remove them from its own property.
Meanwhile, the Court dismissed the TWP’s petition for declaratory judgment on Wednesday, 6 September, and granted government’s motion. The TWP has announced an appeal to the Supreme Court.
This ruling came out of a petition by the TWP in 2013, to reclaim its property =after the government of Liberia ordered the historic Edward J. Roye building situated on the western end of Ashmun Street closed to the public by the General Services Agency (GSA) for possible renovation.
According to Mr. Edward Fahnbulleh, one of the supervisors on the scene yesterday told reporters that they were mandated to close the building by hierarchy of the GSA.
“We were mandated to close the E.J. Roye building by hierarchy of GSA. And shortly we will be starting renovation of the building,” Mr. Fahnbulleh said.
The E.J. Roye building, which had hosted the long-standing True Whigs Party (TWP) during the late 1900s was stripped of its glory during the course of Liberia civil conflict.
Between 2010 and 2012 the Government of Liberia had been struggling with the hierarchy of the TWP over the ownership of the building which has caused renovation of the building to drag on since the end of the civil war.
In recent times, the building has been occupied by thugs commonly called ‘don boscos’ who have been removed out of the building pending its renovation according to Mr. Fanbulleh.
However, Mr. Z. Kwagne Coleman, Chief of Party, has called on the government to withdraw its action or else they would mobilize people to demonstrate and reject the government’s action to have the building renovated.
The True Whig Party, also known as Liberian Whig Party, is the oldest political party in Liberia. Founded in 1869, the party dominated Liberian politics from 1878 until 1980 to the extent that the country was virtually a one-party state, though opposition parties were never outlawed. Initially, its ideology was heavily influenced by that of the United States Whig Party.
