By Garmah Never Lomo,garmahlomo@gmail.com
The full bench of the Supreme Court of Liberia has heard legal arguments between Lawyers representing former President Charles Taylor and Government Lawyers in a Petition for a Writ of Mandamus, brought against the Government of Liberia by Mr. Taylor’s Attorney-In fact, Mrs. Josephine Alison Taylor.
At the hearing, which was held on Wednesday, November 6, 2018 at the Temple of Justice in Monrovia, the Petitioner is claiming that Mr. Taylor is entitled to retirement benefit that could run into hundreds of thousands of United States Dollars, having resigned from office as President of Liberia in August 2003.
Petitioner’s lawyer, Cllr. Lavala Supowood argued before the full bench of the Supreme Court that Mr. Taylor did honorably retire from the Presidency in August 2003 to bring peace to the County.
He said Mr. Taylor was honorable retired and therefore the Government of Liberia must pay his retirement benefits. He said they brought the suit because the Government of Liberia has refused to pay Mr. Taylor retirement benefits. He said that the failure of the government to pay retirement benefit to Mr. Taylor is effecting his family.
However, countering Cllr. Supowwo’s claim that Mr. Taylor was retired honorable from the Presidency, Government’s Lawyer, Cllr. Wesseh Alphonsus Wesseh, Assistant Justice Minister for Litigation argued that Mr. Taylor was not entitled to retirement benefits under the law retirement law of Liberia that is applicable to former presidents and other senior officials of Liberia who have retired honorably and reverted to private life.
He informed the Court that Mr. Taylor retirement was dishonorable in August 2003 after he was indicted by the War Crime Court for Sierra Leone for war crimes and crimes against humanity and after the War Crime sort to unsealed the indictment against him in June 2003 when he was attending a peace conference on Liberia in Ghana.
Cllr. Wesseh furthered that the law relied on by Mr. Taylor so-called Attorney-In-Fact, Mrs. Josephine Allison Taylor, exempts Mr. Taylor, as the law state that “a former President who has honorably retired and revert to private life is entitled to retirement benefits.”
As such, Cllr. Wesseh said Mr. Taylor did not retired honorably and revert to private life with assigned security personnel and personal staff as contemplated by the law.
He said Mr. Taylor was arrested, tried and found guilty for war crimes and crimes against humanity by the Court in The Hague. Cllr. Wesseh also informed the court that the lady who brought the suit as an Attorney-In-fact of Mr. Taylor lacked legal standing as the affidavit attached to the purported power of Attorney was not verified.
The Assistant Justice Minister said the purpose of verification is for the personal appearance of the affiant before the Notary Public Officer for the taken of oath and that claimed that she and Mr. Taylor got wedded in 2002, at the time when Mr. Taylor was already married to Mrs. Jewel Howard Taylor, who was the first Lady of Liberia then.
The Domestic Relations Law of Liberia forbade a spouse to married another when the other spouse in still alive, according to the Assistant Justice Minister.
Cllr. Wesseh then called on the court to dismiss the petition. Meanwhile the Supreme Court has reserved ruling in the petition.