MONROVIA – A Malaysian national, Edward Chan Ming Haut, has sued the Ministry of Justice and the Liberia Immigration Service (LIS) including the Director of Security at the LIS for allegedly wrongfully detaining, humiliating and extorting US$1000 from him (Ming Haut) at the headquarters of the LIS.
Report by Edwin G. Genoway, Jr 00231886458910 [email protected]
Haut lawsuit was also prompted by his alleged illegal deportation and repatriation by the Director of Security at the Liberia Immigration Service Patrick Dolo who has been listed as one of the respondents alongside with the LIS and Justice Ministry.
The Malaysian national told his legal team that he was detained for 10 hours at the headquarters of the LIS by Dolo and was being made to pay US$1000 at the demand of Dolo to set him (Ming Haut) free from detention.
Haut is currently facing deportation and forceful repatriation by the LIS on ground that he was complained by his former employer Forest Venture Inc, a logging company that brought him to Liberia from Malaysia.
It is alleged that Haut prematurely terminated his contract with his former employer Forest Venture Inc and went back home but returned to Liberia with his own Logging Company using the same work permit number issued him by his former employer, something that grabbed the attention of the immigration and led to his detention.
According to court documents in the possession of this paper Edward Chan Ming Haut through his legal counsels Precision Legal Consultants requests his honor Yusuf D. Kaba for the insurance of a writ of preliminary injunction to be issued against the respondents that include the Ministry of Justice, Liberia Immigration Service, and Patrick Dolo, Director of Security at the LIS.
Yusuf Kaba is the judge of the 6th Judicial Circuit, Civil Law Court of the Republic of Liberia; the court is currently in its September Term of sitting AD 2018.
According to the petition filed by the legal team of Ming Haut, the Malaysian national was hired and brought to Liberia by the mother company of Forest venture in Malaysia identify as Rich Pass SDN BHD to live and work in Liberia in 2016 for Forest Venture.
The petitioner noted in the petition to the court he has had contract with Forest venture Company up to 2018 but resigned from the company on July 1, 2018 and same was received by his boss and an amount of US$5,000 (Five thousand United States Dollars) deducted from him because he prematurely terminated his contract.
According to Haut, since that time he parted way with Forest Venture and instructed the management to cancel or close the guarantee or bond place by the company for him.
Petitioner further says that even though he had already parted way with his former employer in July 2018, thereafter, he traveled back to Malaysia in August 2018 where he spent two months before returning to Liberia in October 2018.
His services was hired by another company, Waltrade International, Inc with application made to the Liberia Immigration for a resident permit which was issued through his new employer to him with the same number previously used, the petition states.
Haut complained to the court through his petition that the crux of his petition is that respondents without due process are attempting to deport or forcefully repatriate him through the request of his former employer, Forest Venture when he was invited at their offices on Friday November 30, 2018 his work and resident permits including his passport were seized and he was illegally detained at the Liberia Immigration Service for ten hours.
Haut furthered told the court in his petition that on Wednesday December 5,2018 the LIS security director Patrick Dolo invited him (Haut) with the impression that the other party was present for a hearing into the matter.
However, according to the petition, the LIS inform Haut that ticket had been purchased from Royal Air Morac with the flight departing that same December 5, 2018 at 12Am and therefore had him detained for four hours, despite pleas from Haut counsels stating that repatriation is a voluntary departure and not forcibly done as exhibited by Patrick Dolo of the LIS.
The lawyers of Haut further told the court that the action of the LIS security boss to have their client (Haut) escorted by immigration personnel to the Roberts International Airport at midnight was humiliating as if he committed a crime and needed to be deported.
