By: R Joyclyn Wea
Monrovia-April-3-TNR:The Supreme Court through its Chamber Justice has mandated the management of Gracious Ride to surrender all relevant documents to support the legitimacy of the vehicles impounded by the Assets and Property Recovery Taskforce.
During Monday, April 1, 2024 conferences, the court instructed the parties especially the management of Gracious Ride Friday, April 5, 2024, to submit legal documents (title document), or ownership of those cars.
It can be recalled, that the Assets Recovery and Property Retrieval Team, established by President Joseph Nyuma Boakai to reclaim and return public resources and properties that were unlawfully obtained or converted to private use by officials of previous governments, was placed on hold by the Supreme Court on March 28, 2024.
Francis’s restriction against the government resulted in the task force’s temporary suspension. Gracious Ride manager T Blama hoped that the task force’s car confiscation actions would be halted by the High Court.
Task force members claim that Finda Bundo, former President George Weah’s Chief of Protocol, is the owner of the taxi business.
Through his legal team, Blama informed the court that the task force had unlawfully confiscated the vehicles on the pretext that a high-ranking government official had obtained them through dishonest means and that the task force believed the official to be the owner even though Blama was the rightful owner of the vehicles.
The defense team’s motion led to Yussif Kaba, a Chamber Justice of the Supreme Court, putting a temporary stop on the Assets Recovery Taskforce’s operations on Thursday, March 28.
In addition to requesting that the task force and the ministry be physically present on Monday, April 1, 2024, Justice Kaba also gave notice to the Ministry of Justice to cease the team’s operations.
The mandate reads, “By directive of His Honor Yussif D Kaba, Associate Justice presiding in Chambers, you are hereby cited to a conference with his honor on Monday, April 1, 2024, at the hour of 11:am, in connection with the above-captioned case.”
Meanwhile, it adds, “You are ordered to release all vehicles seized and stay all seizures pending the outcome of the conference.”
Recovering stolen state property and fighting corruption were among Boakai’s main campaign pledges for 2023. He signed an Executive Order on March 5th to create the Office of Assets Recovery. The formation of a taskforce group to combat corruption and attempt to recover embezzled funds came next.
The mission of the Assets Recovery and Property Retrieval Core Team is to oversee the procedures that lead to the identification, recovery, and retrieval of public resources and properties that officials of previous administrations have unlawfully acquired or turned over to private use through criminal prosecutions and civil litigations.
In the meantime, the Taskforce started reclaiming many cars on Wednesday, including many cabs purportedly owned by Madam Bundoo, whom they charged with improperly obtaining the cars through the use of public funds.
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