Post Minister, accuser trade claims

Liberia’s Post and Telecommunication Minister Cllr. Cooper Kruah and his adversary in a 28 – year – old property case Mr. Abduallah B. Kromah are trading claims against each other, with the Minister claiming that Mr. Kromah tried to use the matter block his confirmation at the Senate.

Mr. Kromah on Friday, 9 March alleged in an interview that Cllr. Kruah was making mockery of justice by allegedly failing to sign a stipulation from Justice – in – Chambers Mr. Phillip A.Z. Banks that allots certain percent of rental proceeds to a 1.21 lots of land that is established to be distinct from a main suit between Kromah and Cllr. Kruah’s client, Mr. George Henries.

A copy of Justice Banks ruling partly says that records confirm and the parties agree that while [Civil Law Court] Judge Johannes Zlahn was without authority to review or change his predecessor Judge Boima Kontoe’s ruling, his findings to the effect that the contested 2 lots of land is separate and distinct from the 1.21 lots of land owned by Foday Kamara were legally and factually correct.

As such, the ruling stipulates 62.30 percent of the proceeds to the contested 2 lots of land which is in the main suit, while also stipulating 37.69 percent of the proceeds of the rental to the 1.21 lots of land owned by Foday Kamara.

The document has spaces for Cllr. Kuah, Cllr. Sunifu Sheriff, Cllr. Swahillho Sessay and Associate Justice Banks to sign, but it appears to show that only Cllr. Kryah has not sign it.

Mr. Kromah wants Cllr. Kruah or Mr. Henries to sign the stipulation so that case can come down to the lower court.

He says he had a joint lease agreement with Mr. Kamara in 2011, but Mr. Kamara was not in the main case with Mr. Henries, noting that the Civil Law Court decided that Mr. Kamara should get his proceeds.

But he complains that Cllr. Cooper Kruah has not signed the stipulation from the Chambers Justice before whom he (Cllr. Kruah) had filed a prohibition.

In a follow up with Cllr. Kruah on Saturday, 10 March via mobile phone, the Post and Telecommunication Minister accused Mr. Kromah of trying to use the case to object to his confirmation by the Senate.

But Minister Kruah says Senate did not see sense in it because he (Cllr. Kruah) was representing a party as a lawyer in the case.

“He was doing that to block my confirmation; but he went there and the people looked at the record and they said no, no, it ain’t make any sense for us,” Cllr. Kruah told this paper in mobile phone interview.
Cllr. Kruah says the property in question was sold by one J.B. Todd to former Associate Justice George Henry’s father, former House Speaker Richard Henries between 1952 and 1953.

He says Mr. Richard Henries leased the property to the Monrovia Breweries in 1958 before Daniel Todd, son of J.B. Todd, allegedly resold it to another party after the first buyer Mr. Henries was executed in a coupe.

He adds that the late Henries’ son George Henries could not get rent from Beer Factory when he returned from the United States because the company had said other people were claiming the property.

While the matter was in court, Cllr. Kruah says the Court opened an escrow account and began keeping the rent there, but notes that Mr. Kromah wants him to sign a document for him to withdraw money from the escrow account.

By Winston W. Parley