Rédaction Africa Links 24 with New Dawn
Published on 2024-04-01 05:17:00
Last week, the Supreme Court made a significant decision to halt all asset seizures by Liberia’s Assets Recovery and Property Retrieval Taskforce. This decision came after the Taskforce seized vehicles belonging to former officials, including the immediate past Police Chief, Col. Patrick T. Sudue.
On April 1, 2024, the Taskforce was summoned to appear before Associate Justice Yussif D. Kaba following his order to stop all asset seizure operations. This order was a result of a petition filed by Gracious Ride, represented by its manager Francis T. Blamo, seeking a writ of prohibition against the Taskforce led by Cllr. Edwin Kla Martin.
In response to the petition, Justice in Chambers, Cllr. Kaba, called for a conference between the Taskforce and the opposing party on April 1, 2024. The communication instructing the Taskforce to suspend its asset seizure operations was directed to Liberia’s Justice Minister and Attorney General, Cllr. Oswald Tweh. Additionally, Justice Kaba ordered the Taskforce to release all seized vehicles and refrain from further seizures until the conference’s proceedings.
Over the weekend, the vehicles owned by Gracious Ride were released, paving the way for a hearing scheduled for that day. President Joseph Nyumah Boakai’s administration has faced challenges in reclaiming government assets from former officials who have resisted surrendering them upon leaving public office, prompting the establishment of the Assets Recovery and Property Retrieval Taskforce.
One of the recent instances of asset seizure involved a vehicle operated by former Inspector General of the Liberia National Police, Col. Patrick T. Sudue. The vehicle, identified as A610540, was confiscated during the Taskforce’s operation in Sinkor on March 27, 2024, but was later returned to Col. Sudue following instructions from the General Services Agency (GSA).
Col. Sudue claimed that he had purchased the vehicle from the GSA at a reduced cost, disputing the seizure by the Taskforce. The Boakai administration has raised concerns about officials from the previous Coalition for Democratic Change-led government allegedly looting their offices before leaving and failing to hand over government vehicles, which has posed challenges for the new administration.
The Assets Recovery Team has been tasked with recovering vehicles and addressing the acquisition of questionable wealth by former and current officials through legal means. As the operation continues, there may be further developments, given the prevailing public perception of corruption among Liberian officials, both past and present.
Read the original article on The Newdawn Liberia
