Monrovia – Monrovia-A legal battle stretching over more than 14 years has gripped the attention of Liberia, with the family of the late Samuel N. Smith Sr. and the Government of Liberia (GOL) at odds over the leasing of a prime property worth over $700,000.00 US Dollars located at the historic Jos Hansen, Waterside in Old New Kru Town.
By Willie N. Tokpah, [email protected]
The Liberia Marketing Association (LMA) has been occupying the property, formerly leased to the Jos Hansen Brothers before the Liberian civil conflict, without paying a dime since 2010.
The property, which hosts the relocated Ma Juah Market, has been a point of contention since former President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf’s administration.
Back in 2010, Sirleaf’s government expressed interest in leasing the land for the Ma Juah Market under the Omega Project led by Honourable Mary Broh and discussions were initiated, and one of the heirs of the Smith family, Edsel Smith was approached by Sirleaf herself, with an agreement supposedly on the horizon.
However, years later, no formal lease agreement or compensation has been made despite repeated promises from the government.
In a September 14, 2020 interview with The Analyst newspaper, Edsel Smith expressed frustration over the government’s failure to honor its commitments.
Smith revealed that despite the market’s relocation and the government’s occupation of the property, the family had not seen a single payment for the lease of the land, which they had generously offered to the state on the understanding that a fair agreement would follow swiftly.
“Several years gone without pay,” Smith lamented in the interview, highlighting that even though the government had used the land for the market, it had failed to uphold its financial obligations.
The Smith family had made every effort to negotiate a fair deal with both the Sirleaf and the Weah administrations. However, no meaningful agreement or payment has been reached.
Notably, during the presidency of Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, a humanitarian price of $4.50 per square foot for the property was suggested by Edsel Smith despite the market value being $9.00 per square foot. This was to accommodate the relocation of the marketers who had been displaced from Vai Town, yet even that offer went unacknowledged.
Again, in a January 26, 2015, in an article by The New Dawn, Sirleaf praised the Smith family for allowing the long-term lease of the property, but the formal lease agreement never materialized, and payments remained elusive.
To this day, the market is still operated on the Smith family’s land, with the LMA continuing to occupy it without any compensation.
The Smith family’s frustrations reached new heights in 2023, when they attended a meeting at the Ministry of Internal Affairs. Despite the scheduled appointment, the Liberia Marketing Association and government representatives failed to show up. A subsequent meeting also ended in disappointment, as neither the LMA nor government officials attended, stalling any potential resolution.
As the matter remains unresolved, the family has taken legal action since June of 2024, and they have appeared in court multiple times, but government lawyers have failed to show up to defend the government’s position.
The case has been delayed repeatedly, and in September 2024, the Sixth Judicial Circuit Civil Law Court, under Judge Golda A. Bonah Elliott issued a notice for an action of ejectment, demanding both parties appear in court for the resolution of the case.
Despite the lengthy delays, the property remains under dispute.
The Smith family, through their Lawyer Cllr. Gabriel W. Nah Sr. of the Law firm of Stubberfield, Nigba and Associates LLC and 2 of Samuel N. Smith Sr. Children who are the Administrators Roosevelt J. Smith and Mutricia Maude Smith continue to seek justice and compensation for the property that has been occupied without formal agreement or payment.
Throughout these years, FrontPageAfrica has followed the saga closely, with coverage dating back to 2020, highlighting the continued failure of the government to act on a matter that has caused immeasurable distress to the Smith family.
As a result, it is now more critical than ever that the government lives up to its promises and enters into a formal agreement to either compensate the Smith family for the use of their property or vacate the premises.
As the case proceeds through the courts, all eyes remain on the government’s next move and the Smith family, whose generosity has been taken for granted for over a decade, are waiting for justice.
Meanwhile, the Liberia Marketing Association’s continued occupation of the property without paying rent or agreeing to a lease remains a growing issue of concern for both the public and legal observers alike.
In his State of the Nation Address, President Joseph Nyuma Boakai highlighted the issue of delayed court cases as one of the challenges facing Liberia’s judicial system. He expressed concern about the prolonged wait for justice, which affects the people’s trust in the courts. Boakai emphasized the need for reforms to address inefficiencies within the judiciary and ensure that cases are handled promptly.
He called for improving access to justice and making the legal system more responsive to the needs of the Liberian people.
If the government of Liberia will fulfill its obligations, or will the Smith family’s decade-long fight for compensation continue indefinitely remains unanswered, as only time will tell.
This is a developing story, and FrontPageAfrica will continue to monitor the situation closely.