Nat’l Achieves Distances Itself

By Mark N. Mengonfia- mmenginfia@gmail.com

MONROVIA-An employee of the Center for National Documents, Records and Archives (CNDRA) has in recent weeks been in the news for the wrong reasons.

Madam Charlotte Dixon, who heads the Department of Public Records at the CNDRA was linked to defrauding a citizen of Liberia, Gertrude Massaquoi, a resident of Brewerville.

Madam Massaquoi opted to secure a piece of land from Madam Dixon at the cost of US$5,000 (Five thousand United States Dollars), a deal which is said to have soured thus forcing Madam Massaquoi to take a legal stance against the government official as per Madam Dixon’s promissory note.

According to the Court’s  Document in the possession of this paper, an arrest warrant is out against the accused (Madam Dixon) for her alleged failure to pay the US$5,000 that she received from Madam Massaquoi for land after she had made a commitment to it.

The New Republic Newspaper in its March 13, 2023, Edition carried a headline, “Defrauding At Achieve”?

This headline according to the Archive, was dragging the institution into a “private business” which was transacted between two adults and therefore needed to be treated privately.

Responding to the Newspaper’s Publication, the Acting Director of Communications at the Archives, George Williams said, “Her transaction with Madam Massaquoi in the paper as far we know took place early last year and that transaction, we want to term it as purely private. It has nothing to do with the National Archives and so we saw it prudent that there should be no way the public or the newspaper drag the Archives into it.”

According to Mr. Williams, linking her to the institution on such an allegation has the ability to undermine the integrity of an “integrity” institution.

According to him, madam Massaquoi has all rights reserved under the laws of Liberia to take the employee of the Archives to the law for redress to her matter and not to include the institution in the stalemate land deal.

Although Mr. Williams said the Archives is not involved in the deal between the duo, according to a promise service note issued by the accused, the Human Resource Director of the National Achieves, Sam Fahnbulleh Kornah B. Barclay, chief investigator of the same institution witnessed the promissory note made by Madam Dixon to have paid the full amount of US$5,000 at the end of February 2023.

“How can they say that the National Archives is not involved when it was the Human Resource (HR) Director of the Archives who arrested the situation and we signed the promissory note in the office of Charlotte?,” Madam Massaquoi asked a rhetorical question in a telephone conversation with this paper Wednesday, March 29, 2023.

According to her, prior to the signing of the promissory note, she had gone to Madam Dixon for a refund of her money, but the reaction she got was unfavorable thus causing her to speak angrily at the time.

“When they heard my voice, they asked that we go to the office and talk about it. We talked and even at some point in time had the involvement of the Director of the National Archives who promised to have also intervened but did not work,” Massaquoi said.

Speaking further, Madam Massaquoi indicated, ” I respected them to the fullest, but each time I called, the HR will tell me ‘I will call you back’ and he will not return the call.”

She said when the time they promised to pay the money reached; she revisited the Archives again, but to no avail.

As it stands, Massaquoi has taken legal action against Madam Dixon.

A writ of arrest has been prepared by the Debt Court Clerk for Madam Dixon after Gertrude Massaquoi alleged that Madam Dixon took her money US$5,000 (Five thousand United States Dollars) under false pretense to give her land.

It can be recalled that Madam Charlotte Dixon collected an initial amount of US$5,000 (Five thousand United States Dollars) to sell land to Madam Massaquoi which she claimed to have.

She told Madam Massaquoi that she had five lots of land in Brewerville that were out for sale.

Knowing her title, Madam Massaquoi did not hesitate to see said property. “We asked her to see the land along with the decree of sale. She did and charged US$9,200 (Nine thousand two hundred United States Dollars). We paid her cash US$5,000 (Five thousand United States dollars),” Gertrude said.

But here was what broke the Camel’s back, “To effect the survey, Madam Dixon started narrating different stories. After pressing her further, to know what the actual reason for the delay was, Madam Dixon responded like this: “The land in question is in court, and in a few weeks’ time, the judge will rule. Here is the case file, you can go and see it,” Madam Massaquoi explained.

At this point, Madam Massaquoi almost fainted, as she narrated. Her only option she said was to request for her US$5,000 (Five thousand cash). No Cash, no land, she said.

According to Madam Massaquoi, her expected landlady told her that she used the money to pay for legal services and she would repay her in February 2023. (Please see the promissory note to that effect).

But to her surprise, said amount had not been paid. So she is looking at other options, preferably, dragging her to court in the shortest possible time to get redress.

To ascertain the facts, this paper contacted Madam Dixon on the land’s deal. She refused to answer and a text message was sent to her. After a few hours prior to Monday’s incident, she returned the call and said she could not speak to the matter.

In less than an hour, one person who introduced himself as the Lawyer for Madam Dixon said; “My client cannot speak to the matter, because the case is in court.” The reporter asked when the case between Madam Massaquoi and his client was taken to court, he did not give any date, but only said, “It is against the law to write on a particular case that is in court. If you the journalist want to know more about the case, you can go to the court to know.”

But when contacted, Madam Massaquoi on the veracity of the Lawyer’s statement, she responded: “Lies. My case is not in court yet. I intend to take her to court anytime soon.”