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MONROVIA – A stalwart of the opposition Coalition for Democratic Change (CDC), Senator Augustine Chea of Sinoe County, has admitted that the recent eviction of the party from its Congo Town headquarters was carried out in keeping with Liberian law.
By Obediah Johnson
Court sheriffs, backed by officers of the Liberia National Police (LNP), stormed the CDC headquarters early Saturday morning to enforce a court-ordered eviction.
The move has sparked criticism from party executives and officials, including Chairman Janga Kowo, who accused the Boakai-Koung administration of using the judiciary to suppress the opposition.
But in a statement posted on his official Facebook page, Senator Chea, a lawyer by profession, distanced himself from the party’s position, stressing that the eviction was lawful.
“I have said it privately before, and I am saying it publicly now, that our party must peacefully vacate the Bernard estate,” he wrote. “Under our statutory and constitutional law, the filing of a new suit for specific performance by a party who has lost a prior eviction case does not automatically stay eviction.”
He explained that in the current case, the court ruled in favor of Madam Martha Stubblefield, the landlord of the Bernard estate, and ordered the eviction.
Senator Chea emphasized that the judgment is final and binding unless the Supreme Court issues a stay order through appeal or motion. He clarified that while the CDC has filed another lawsuit, it does not prevent the eviction from being executed.
“The filing of a new suit (an action for specific performance) does not stay an eviction already ordered by the court. Even if the party (CDC) files a motion for a stay of execution of the eviction, and posts an indemnity bond, as required by the Civil Procedure Law, but without a court-granted stay order, the sheriff can carry out the eviction,” he explained.
The Sinoe County Senator further justified the involvement of the police, noting that the law allows courts to request their assistance in enforcing eviction orders to prevent resistance.
“That’s the law. We are a country of law!” Senator Chea declared.
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