Monrovia – Majestically perched atop the hills of Congo Town, overlooking Paco Island, rests a high fence containing the property. Sometime in 1984, President Samuel K. Doe purchased this piece of land. The property was developed and according to a well-placed source, the late President paid for it.
Report by Mae Azango, [email protected]
Fast forward to the end of the war, Mrs. Nancy B. Doe, Former First Lady of Liberia, returns home and tries to pick up her pieces. She goes to several properties of theirs and begins renovation, but several other places did not need renovation. Fortunately, the Congo Town residence survived the war. It mostly needed cleaning and small touching up. Thus, they set out on this task.
“After cleaning up my property, I placed a lock on the gate to move in later, but to my outmost surprise, two days later, the security boys called to inform me that someone had broken the lock from the gate and moved into my house. The mysterious person turned out to be Sen. Varney Sherman,” says Mrs. Doe.
Madam Nancy B. Doe, wife of slain President Samuel K. Doe, has accused Grand Cape Mount County lawmaker, Senator Varney Sherman of hijacking her property in Congo Town and using his power to suppress her from getting it back.
“Last year, I took him to court and Mr. Sherman is using lawyers who are on his payroll to fight me for my own property. At first, when I asked him, he pleaded that I please let him stay until after 2005 elections and then he’d come to see me for settlement. He said that he was aware I owned the property but he was in the middle of campaigning. Understanding the situation, I accepted his pleas and took it in good faith,” she said sadly, as tears welled up in her eyes.
Speaking in an exclusive interview with this paper at her Sinkor residence, Madam Doe narrated that upon her return from exile before 2005, she met some displaced people occupying her property and through the Justice Ministry, she got them out and deployed some security to look after the place while she went back to the UK in preparation for her final return. Upon her return, she and a friend went by her place in Congo Town to clean up to move in. When she arrived at the gate, the security guards manning the property told her they had been caring for the property while she was away. She even gave them some money for the effort. After she left, she rather received bad news that prevented her from moving in her place.
Mrs. Doe further disclosed that when she went to see Mr. Sherman and told him that she had prepared the place to stay in it; she could not continue staying in a hotel as it was expensive. But he “Mr. Sherman would not tell me anything regarding my property. Since then, whenever I went to see him, he would drill me up and down, saying go and come back,” she said.
When asked if she has documentation to her claims, she said her husband bought the property since 1984 and she has the deed to that effect. The property in question is two lots situated in Congo Town adjacent the West Africa Telecommunication (WAT), where Sen. Sherman presently resides.
According to a copy of the deed now in the procession of this paper, the late President Doe purchased said property in 1984 from Elizabeth Maximore and Elizabeth Browne of Monrovia, both of whom are deceased.
Mrs. Doe disclosed that she asked her lawyer to cite Mr. Sherman to a conference in 2012. However, Mr. Sherman, in a response dated July 5, 2012, to Madam Doe’s lawyer, stated that he acknowledges that the empty plot of land adjacent to the land which he occupies is owned by Joseph S. Faijue, while the property he now occupies belongs to Samuel K. Dolo and not President Samuel K. Doe.
It is interesting to note that based on FPA’s investigation both parcels of land were purchased by Mr. Faijue and Mr. Dolo on the same date, in the same year 1981 and from the same persons Elizabeth Padmore and Elizabeth Brown, one of whom the late Samuel K. Doe actually bought his property.
Questions raised by other family members and some citizens in the court were; Why does Sen. Sherman have the deeds of the two men who are now deceased, and there were no representation of family members of either of the deceased to back their fathers’ claims. It was further discovered by this paper that when the late President Doe was building this property, he used his Deputy Minister of State for Economic Affairs, Madam Veronica Deagor, to purchase all the building materials for its construction.
When FPA caught up with Madam Deagor at her Paynesville residence, she confirmed signing for all vouchers of building materials for the late president Samuel K. Doe in the 1980’s and the property in Congo Town was no exception.
“I got to know about the property in Congo Town because, whenever President Doe wanted do any infrastructure work, he would instruct me to prepare a voucher to get building materials from a Lebanese business man, Fouad Ashkar on Bushrod Island. On the day when I prepared the voucher, Johnny Kpor wanted me to give him the voucher to get the building materials, but I refused, so in order to convince me, he took me to the construction site to see the contractors at work. When we arrived there, I even noticed the marking of SKD written on the four cornerstones around the property but I insisted on delivering the voucher to the Lebanese business man myself, and I did,” Says Madam Deagor.
She furthered disclosed that she was appointed December 13, 1980, and took office in 1981, where she was responsible to prepare vouchers for all of President Doe’s infrastructural work. And she remembered preparing vouchers for the building of the property in question, which she notes definitely belonged to the late President Samuel K. Doe at the time.
“To show you how well I know about that property, the building adjacent to the President Doe’s property that now houses West Africa Telecommunication, used to belong to Mrs. Georgette Jones, adopted mother of President Doe’s cousin and finance Minister, G. Alvin Jones. I believed it was G. Alvin Jones who even arranged for his cousin President Doe to purchase that property right next to his parents’ property,” Confirmed madam Diagor.
When FPA contacted Cape Mount County lawmaker Sen. Varney Sherman at his Capitol Building office, he said his lawyer advised that he makes no comment in order not to jeopardize the case that is already in court but suggested that the journalist speak to the family members of his landlords, S.K. Dolo and Joseph S. Faijue.
When Journalist visited the Faijue’s property in Congo Town adjacent the property in contention, Joseph Faijue Jr. was said to have been out at the time. However, FPA was told that the late Samuel K. Dolo was represented by Cllr. Musa Dean, current the Justice Minister. When contacted via mobile, Mr. Dean said a long time ago an old man who identified himself as SK Dolo, went to ask him how much a property, in Congo Town was sold for because he wanted to sell his property. He Dean, then gave the old man a figure after which, he left and never return. Later, he heard the old man was dead.
Documents in possession of this paper, indicate that a lease agreement was entered into by and between Samuel K. Dolo, lesser, and a Lebanese businessman Fouad Ashka, the lessee. This happens to be the same name mentioned by madam Deagor as the Contractor for the Late President Samuel K. Doe. The lease agreement which was entered into on August 17, 1989 states the following:
- To have and to hold the above described premises to gather with all and singular the rights, privileges easements appurtenances belonging and appertaining unto the lessee for and during the full and complete period of twenty (20) calendar years certain, commencing as of the 1stday of September A.D.1989; up to and including the 31stday of August A.D. 2009; thereafter with an optional period of ten(10) calendar years commencing as of the 1st day of September A.D. 2009, yielding and paying to Lessor payments as follows,(All payments shall be made in Liberian Dollars).
- a)For the first five (5) years, One Thousand Two hundred (1,200.00) per Annual.
- b)For the second five (5) years, One Thousand Four Hundred (1,400.00) per Annual.
- c)For the third five (5) years One Thousand Seven Hundred Dollars (1,700.00) per Annual.
- d)For the fourth five (5) years Two Thousand Two Hundred Dollars (2,200.00) per Annual.
- e)For the Optional Ten (10) years Two Thousand Five Hundred Dollars (2,500.00) per Annual.
- f)Upon signing of the agreement, Lessee shall make two (2) years payment to Lessor in advance. Thereafter, all payments shall be made payable annually in advance.
As to how Sen. Sherman got the property, investigations show that he entered into a lease agreement with an agent, Abraham Eldine, of Lebanese Business man Fouad Ashkar. Cllr. Eldine sub-leased the property to Sen. Sherman for a period covering January 22, 2003 to 2009, and Sen. Sherman was to pay US One Dollar Annually (1.00) as shown below:
Now therefore, it is agreed as follows:
- That for and consideration of the amount of US$1.00 ( One United States Dollar) and other valuable consideration, the receipt of which is hereby acknowledged by the sub-Lessor herein from the sub-Lessee herein, sub Lessor hereby grant, demises and leases unto sub-Lessee all that residential property (Lands and Buildings).
This Agreement of Sub –Lease is made and entered into this 22nd day of January A. D. 2003, by and between Abraham Eldine of the city of Monrovia, Republic of Liberia, sub-Lessor and Sherman Consultant Limited, represented by its managing partner H. Varney G. Sherman, also of the City of Monrovia, Republic of Liberia, Sub-lessee, hereby.
Whereas, the undeveloped land on which the residential property was constructed is originally owned by S.K. Dol, A Liberian citizen who lease to Fouad Ashka, a Lebanese Businessman, pursuant to a lease agreement of the 17th day of August, 1989.
Whereas, Sub-Lessee herein has offered to lease the aforesaid property from sub-Lessor herein and sub-Lessor has agreed sub-lease the property to sub-lessee herein on terms and conditions herein provided.
When Cllr. Abraham Eldine was contacted via mobile phone, he did not pick up the call after several attempts and a text message was sent by the journalist, requesting an audience regarding the property, but up to press time, he did not respond to the message.
In a related development, Children of the late William T. Bruce Sr. are also laying claims on the same property, stating that their father purchased the land since 1975.
However, according to a copy of their deed, the late William T. Bruce Sr. purchased the property September 23, 1975, from Elizabeth Brown and Elizabeth Patmore.
Former first lady Nancy B. Doe, is scheduled to have a press conference next week. And as tension builds up, FPA has gathered that the Bruce’s lawyer has served Sen. Sherman a writ from the court regarding the same property.
Since the war ended, land issue has been a problem that has affected many people. Mrs. Doe is among hundreds of people who left Liberia due to the country’s civil unrest that lasted 13 years, and returned to see their properties taken by other people who either repurchased from the property’s owner or from dubious land dealers.
According to Rights and Rice Foundation (RRF), on the Land Rights Act and the background on the draft LRA stems from ownership of land and tenure remains contentious in part because of inadequate laws. “To be fair to ourselves today, we must all agree that laws we have had in Liberia are not enough to solve the many problems coming from the way people get land, give out land, use land and manage land,”
In response to these many land problems, the Government of Liberia in 2013 approved a new land policy called “Land Rights Policy”. The Liberian Land Commission legal drafting team took on the responsibility in translating the policy into law,” quoted the RRF document. The document further stated that on July 4th of 2014, the Land Commission delivered the first draft of the Land Rights Act (LRA) to former president Ellen Johnson Sirleaf. This Act was then revised and submitted to lawmakers for passage.
According to this draft LRA, the ownership of Customary Land consists of rights which include; (a) the right to possess, (b) the right to use, (c) the right to be responsible, identify and (d) define boundaries.
“In conclusion, we would like to encourage our lawmakers to ensure that the points made by the CSO’s summarized version of what concerns the common man be incorporated in the LRA and passed into law in order to minimize the long-term land conflict in Liberia,” The document stated.