Margibi – The Office of Margibi County District #1 lawmaker, Representative Tibelrosa Summoh Tarponweh has denied accusation against the lawmaker that he is shielding behind the police and the court to illegally take away a parcel of land allegedly belonging to residents of his constituency.
According to Mr. Danny Vah, the Attorney-in-fact of the family claiming the contested land, Rep. Tarponweh is not only illegally possessing the land, but destroyed the existing structure that was under construction by Mr. Henry David and his wife, Mrs. Gladys David, the rightful owners of the property.
In a FrontPage Africa’s November 2 Edition, one Danny Vah accused Representative Tarponweh of using his power to illegally possess a parcel of land owned by Mr. and Mrs. Henry David in Duazon, Margibi County.
But the Lawmaker’s Office, through its Public Relations Officer Emmanuel Tokpah, termed the accusation as “fabrications” and said it is “a disparate attempt by Mr. Vah to cover up his illegal behavior and malign Representative Tarponweh who is not a claimant to the land but whose only interest and obligation is to ensure that the people of his constituency benefit from the protection of crimes through the construction of a police sub-station.”
Mr. Tokpah further clarified that the parcel of land in question was “legally” purchased by the Margibi County Administration from the Emmanuel Kesselly Estate for the construction of a police sub-station in Duazon.
According to the lawmaker’s office, before such purchase was done, all due diligence was carried out to satisfy the legal requirements including a survey conducted and a search performed at the Center for National Documents and Records Agency(CNDRA), which certified the existence of such probated warranty deed within the national archives since the 1980s in the name of the Kesselly Family.
Mr. Tokpah explained: “Following all of the formaliti
es, the land was officially purchased and the construction of the police station commenced. Another family, the Henry David Family, who reside outside of Liberia immediately surfaced; claiming said property Vah.
According to him, the David Family showed a deed which was issued to them by one Wilmort S. James, who once served as a resident county surveyor.
“Can a surveyor become a land administrator to issue deeds? The deed did not even indicate adjacent properties owned by others within the same locality, and following a search at CNDRA, it was established that the deed was never registered within the National Archives,” Tokpah claimed.
Tokpah further explained that the court has been involved into this matter since 2020. Based on the failure of the David’s family to appear in court on several occasions, an indemnity bond was issued and granted by the Court to continue the construction of the police station.
Said Tokpah: If those who are claiming the land and their agent have legitimate claims, why must they usually hire wayward youths to destroy the construction of the police substation when there is an indemnity bond. Where do we find redress? Of course, it is the court. Regardless of the violent antics and lawless behavior of the individual who ran to FrontPage Africa, Representative Tarponweh has always maintained that legal process is the best way to resolve all issues that maybe in dispute”.
However, court documents in the possession of FrontPage Africa, dated October 8, 2021, indicate a court order from the 13th Judiciary Circuit of Margibi before Judge Mardea T. Chenoweth, ordering the David Family to stay away from said land.
The court order, according to the documents, is based on the actions of Danny Vah and his s men to vandalize the police station under construction, while there is an active court process and associated indemnity bond.