Supreme Court gives school administration to Church

Liberia’s Supreme Court has ended a longstanding property dispute between a church and its school principal Ramson W. George and some individuals, placing the administration and all assets of the school under the full authority of the Church and additionally awarding it US$10,000.00 in general damages.

“That Co-appellants Ramson W. George and T. Augustine Nyenswah are ordered to relinquish the administration and all assets of the school to the appellee with immediate effect, paying to the appellee Ten thousand United States Dollars (US$10,000.00) as general damages for their illegal withholding of the appellee’s property and the misuse of resources from the appellee’s school,” Court ruled Tuesday, 20 February.

Following the Supreme Court’s opinion at the Temple of Justice in Monrovia, the Bishop of of the New Jerusalem Temple of Calvary Pentecostal Redemption Church in Logan Town Benjamin Doe – wion, Sr. told journalists that he was thankful to God for the Court’s decision.

Chief Justice Francis S. Korkpor, Sr., and Associate Justices Kabineh M. Ja’neh and Jamesetta Howard – Wolokolie signed the Supreme Court’s judgment, but the other two Justices Phillip A.Z. Banks,III and Sie -A- Nyene G. Yuoh did not sign it because they were out of the country during the time the opinion was delivered.
It was one of three cases ruled upon Tuesday before the Supreme Court closed for a break that may last for some two weeks to reopen for the March 2018 Term of Court on the second Monday of next month.

The case between the Church and Mr. George results from a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) allegedly introduced by Mr. George and his accomplices as a document purportedly entered into between the Church and the Logan Town Community to manage the Elder John Mansay High School.

The Supreme Court determined that the Church authorized Mr. George to administer its school, but it also finds that there is no evidence substantiating that the Church entered into a MoU with the Logan Town Community to manage the school in question.

As such, the Supreme Court confirms a lower Court’s decision declaring the purported MoU fraudulent and also confirms the cancellation of the purported MoU.
It further instructs that any money placed in the escrow by order of the lower court is also ordered released to the appellee or the Church. The Court subsequently instructs the Clerk to send a mandate to the lower court, ordering the judge there to resume jurisdiction over the case and enforce the judgment.

During an interview outside the Court, Bishop Benjamin Doe- wion recalls how the Church put its member Mr. George over its institution Elder John Mansay High School as principal, along with Mr. T. Augustine Nyenswah who came out with an MoU purportedly entered into between the Church and the Logan Town Community.

He says the Church rejected the purported MoU because it had never signed it, adding that in Liberia “we have lots of crooks” coming up who falsify people’s signatures.

When the case was at the Civil Law Court, Bishop Doe -wion says the Church won it, following which the losing party appealed to the Supreme Court. He says they have been fighting the battle for five years now, accusing Mr. George and his accomplices of having the spirit of disobedience and claiming the Church’s property.

Bishop Doe – wion notes that Mr. George will not be retained as school principal because he is a crook.

By Winston W. Parley