PHOTO: Rodney Sieh, FPA Managing Editor
By Garmah Never Lomo, garmahlomo@gmail.com
TEMPLE OF JUSTICE, Monrovia- Liberia’s oldest cement manufacturing company has taken one of the country’s leading newspaper’s FrontpageAfrica to court for allegedly libeling the company, demanding US$800,000.00 in payment of damages, but the paper says it has since retracted the story CEMENCO said was libelous.
The management of the Front Page Africa Newspaper and Internet Services by and through its Managing Editor, Rodney Sieh has been sued at the sixth Judicial Civil Court A by the Liberia Cement Corporation (CEMENCO) through it managing Director Mr. William Gaignard for Action of Damages for Libel.
In a nine-count complaint filed by the management of CEMENCO that on Tuesday March 2,2021, the Front Page Africa Newspaper and Internet Services maliciously published in its print and internet media, wrote a story Captioned, Liberia: CEMENCO Linked to Fraudulent Packaging of Cement.
The company claimed that the defamatory story portrayed CEMENCO as gradually being engaged in deceptive business practice and particularly emphasized that CEMENCO has imported from Sierra Leone for sale on the Liberian Market. It said the company purchased a grade of cement that was different from the specification registered with the government of Liberia through the Ministry of commerce.
That the cement bags were slinked into the country without the knowledge or consent of the government Ministries and agencies.
Count three says that further to count two above, the publication revealed that this story was based on an investigation conducted by the defendant Front Page Africa.
However, contrary to it’ assertion that “several attempts to get comments from CEMENCO didn’t materialize” and and also in violation of the code of ethics of the Press Union of Liberia which guides and binds defendant.
This purported Investigation was conducted without cross checking the facts or acertaining from plaintiff (complainant) information that could have been pertinent to the outcome of said Investigation and contributed to a factual reporting of the story.
Count of the complainant complain said, that upon Discovery of this false, misleading, injurious and defamatory publication made by defendant (Front Page Africa), plaintiff (complainant) took the necessary and appropriate steps of having the information clarified by issuing a press release containing the true and factual information surrounding the sourcing of paper bags from its sister company in Sierra Leone and published same in the Inquirer, the News, Heritage and Daily Observer Newspapers on March 5,2021 editions respectively.
Plaintiff also says that at no time it bring into Liberia Cement bags labeled Lion Pro which contained a 42R grade of cement to be sold on the Liberian market but rather due to delay in shipment of paper bags that plaintiff regularly uses to package it’s 32.5R cement product, plaintiff sourced paper bags from LEOCEM a sister company in Sierra Leone for packaging of its 32.5R cement products matching the specification registered with the government of Liberia through the Ministry of Commerce.
And further added that the paper bags sourced from LEOCEM did bear the label of LEOCEM and the publication that it had slinked Lion Pro bags was maliciously intended to injure the reputation of plaintiff.
Plaintiff in count six of its complaint says that it’s sourcing of cement bags with the aim of having cement products available to meet the demands of the Liberian market, conforms with best business practice in the industry and that this action was not done independent of the government of Liberia and plaintiff further that it consulted with the government of Liberia through the Ministry of Commerce and also obtained the necessary permit therefrom before endeavoring to acquire these cement bags from LEOCEM.
Also, count eight of the plaintiff complain says that at result of defendant’s publication and subsequent failure to recant same, plaintiff reputation for being a responsible corporate citizens and followers of best business practices within the industry has being tarnished and a doubt had been cast on the quality of its products on the Liberian Market.
Also in count eight, plaintiff revealed that imputing to it a conduct of deceptive business products in Liberia is merely intended to degrade, expose plaintiff to public mistrust and deter the public from dealing with it when it is the same public on which plaintiff relies for its business operations in Liberia.
The plaintiff also in count either narrated that any communication is defamatory if it tends to harm the reputation of another so as to lower him in the estimation of the community or to deter third person from dealing with him.
Wherefore, and in view of the foregoing, plaintiff prayed court to find defendant liable in the amount of US$800,000.00 as general damages for the injuries caused to plaintiff rule costs of these proceedings against defendant and grant unto plaintiff any other relief that may deem just, legal and equitable in the premises.
At the court has at the same time summoned the management of Front page Africa to appear in the above entitled cause of action (Action for damages for Libel) and to appear before the sixth Judicial Circuit Court Civil law court A at the Temple of Justice sitting in it June A. D. 2021, term of court on the 21st day of June at 10am to answer the complaint of the above named plaintiff and to notify the defendant that upon his failure to appear, judgement by default will be rendered against him.
Meanwhile, the management of Front page Africa through its news desk editor, Mr. Lennart Dodoo said they acknowledged the wrongful publication on CEMENCO. They did not intend to publish the story without verification.
They immediately took it off our website and published a rebuttal press statement issued by CEMENCO both in print and online.