Monrovia – Associate Justice Yarmie Quiqui Gbeisay, presiding in the Chambers of the Supreme Court, on yesterday declined to step down from the late Milad Hage’s fake deed accusations to acquire three of deceased’s personal real properties.
By Victoria G Wesseh
The widow, Oumou and her biological children, had filed the claims against her step-daughter, Nohad Hage, at the Civil Law Court, presided over by Judge Golda A. Bonah Elliott.
Justice Gbeisay’s recusal request was made by Oumou’s lawyers, who had accused the Justice of being biased, due to his decision to imprison her, when he presided over the Hage’s fake deed case, while serving as a Judge of the Civil Law Court.
Despite evidence being established that Justice Gbeisay imprisoned Oumou, Gbeisay categorically rejected Oumou’s repeated claims that he is biased and conflicted.
By then, Gbeisay had argued that his action to imprison Oumou, when she refused to honor his mandate, directed her to sign the controversial deed, on ground that the deed is a product of fraud.
Being aware of his earlier involvement with the case, Justice Gbeisay yesterday issued a temporary Writ of Certiorari, after Nohad Hage requested for him,to review the judgment of Judge Bonah-Elliott, who denied Nohad’s request to recuse herself from further presiding over the matter.
Nohad had argued that Bonah-Elliott, as a practicing lawyer of the Sherman and Sherman law firm, was one of the lawyers that represented the bank, in a bill of Information she (Nodah) filed before the Supreme Court, in 2014.
In her bill, she made Ecobank Liberia Limited as the 2nd Respondent and Oumou 1st Respondent, and it was about the very disputed Milard R Hage’s properties.
According to Nohad, Bonah Elliott filed a return to the Bill of Information on behalf of Ecobank, when she was quoted as saying, “since Nohad is not a child of Oumou, she was without the Standing to file the Bill of Information.”
Bonah-Elliott, in her defense argued that the matter before her for adjudication is different from the one she participated on behalf of Ecobank Liberia Limited.
“The said allegations are untrue and unsupported by the records and inconsistent with law, stressing, “the Motion for Recusal is hereby denied and dismissed, and the trial of this case is ordered proceed with.”