Monrovia – Civil Law Court ‘B’ Judge Scheaplor R. Dunbar has held GT Bank Liberia Management liable for its former manager’s action on Employee Edward Freeman.
By Augustine Tweh, [email protected] 0770182298
Judge Dunbar also ruled that the bank should pay the amount of US$250,000 for the damages incurred by Mr. Freeman.
“In view of the forgoing, the 1st defendant (GT Bank) is adjudged liable to plantiff (Edward Freeman) for the injuries he sustained on August 28, 2018. 1st respondent is ordered to pay the amount of US$250,000 as general damages for the injuries, humiliation, emotional distress, and mental anguish suffered by the plantiff as a direct result of 2nd respondent (Ayodeji Bejide, former GT Bank Manager) violent assault. The Clerk of this court is ordered to prepare a bill of costs for taxing by the parties and approval by the court. And is hereby so ordered,” Judge Dunbar ruled.
But the bank, through its legal team, took an appeal to the Supreme Court.
It can be recalled on October 2018, Edward Freeman, then employee of the bank was assaulted by its then Manager Ayodeji Bejide with a calculator resulting in a cut on his lips.
Following the assault, Freeman then reported the case to the Liberia National Police for investigation.
In its investigation, the LNP charged the former bank manager, Ayodeji Bejide with the commission of Aggravated Assault and forwarded him to court.
However, as the case progressed on in court, the accused absconded Liberia for his native Nigeria.
Freeman had filed an action of damages in the amount of US$1 million to the court for the alleged assault carried out against him by the bank’s ex-manager.
According to Freeman, Bejide threatened to dismiss him if he alarmed about the assault on him. Reacting to Freeman’s claim than, the bank thru its legal counsel Cllr. Joseph Kollie prayed the court to drop the bank out of the lawsuit.