Liberia: Woman Claiming Ownership of Deceased Former Auditor General’s Properties Taken to Court

Monrovia – The family of fallen former Liberian Auditor General Taweh Veikai, Sr. has complained to the Judge of the Monthly and Probate Court at the Temple of Justice, His Honor, Vinton Holder, a lady claiming to be the wife and Administrator of the fallen Liberian statesman.

Mr. Veikai died on October 7, 2019 in Accra, Ghana as a result of sepsis (poison).

He served as Deputy Auditor General for Administration, and Acting Auditor General at the General Auditing Commission (GAC) during the regime of former Liberian President Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf.

Since the demise of the fallen former Auditor General, there have been claims and counterclaims between family members and a lady, named, Petricia Candy Cooper over ownership of his properties.

The Complaint

In a letter dated October 24, 2019 and addressed to the Resident Judge of the Probate Court (a copy which is in the possession of this paper), under the signature of Dr. Edwin G. K. Zoedua, Administrator of the Intestate Estate of the late Taweh J. Veikai, Sr, the family complained that Madam Cooper has allegedly “overstepped her bound by assuming ownership of the deceased house situated in Caldwell, New Georgia.”

According to the communication, Madam Cooper who is claiming to be the wife of the deceased allegedly prevented the family from entering the premises to hold meetings that would lead to the 40-day sacrifice, which is slated for November 18.

“In fact, in order to conduct the seventh-day sacrifice, we were forced to rent a place for such occasion, something which embarrassed the entire family. We have also received reliable information that the fiancée, Petricia Candy Cooper, has begun illegally moving into the house of the deceased, with the intent to occupy against the will of the family,” the family stated in their complaint.

The family claimed that their late relative only engaged Madam Cooper on July 27, 2019, but did not marry her prior to his demise.

“In view of the foregoing, we are humbly requesting Your Honor and this Honourable Court to cite Madam Petricia Candy Cooper to show cause if any, why such a conduct,” the family maintained.

Power of Attorney

Following the death of the former acting Liberian Auditor General, family members met at a general meeting and unanimously selected and appointed Dr. Edwin G. K. Zoedua (elder brother of the deceased), Mrs. Tonia Passawe (Niece of the deceased), and Mr. Alieu V. Veikai (Nephew of the deceased), to serve as Administrators of the Intestate Estate of the late Taweh J. Veikai, Sr. 

Additionally, a notarized Power of Attorney was also issued by the children of the deceased residing in the United States and Canada respectively.

The biological children of the fallen Liberian statesman include: Tawek Veikai, Jr., Boakai Veikai, and Singbe Veikai.

In the document issued on October 28, 2019, a copy which is in the possession of this paper, the Veikais “agreed and consented, and in agreement with the decision appoint Dr. Edwin G. K Zoedua, Tonia Passawe and Alieu V. Veika to serve as Administrators for our late father, Taweh J. Veikai, Sr of the Republic of Liberia.”

Reaction

When contacted via telephone, Madam Cooper referred this writer to her Legal Counsel, Gabriel W. Nah, Sr.

Speaking in an interview with Frontpage Africa via telephone, Attorney Nah rubbished the complaint filed against his client.

He pointed out that the properties in question belong to Madam Cooper because under the Liberian laws, a deceased’s spouse has full authority over his/her properties. 

According to him, there is no way the deceased properties can be transferred to his children when his “wife” is still alive.

Atty. Nah pointed out that a petition will be filed to the court for the revocation of letter of administration in the possession of those claiming to be Administrators of the Intestate Estate of the late Taweh Veikai, Sr.

He claimed that marriage certificate legalizing the relationship between Madam Cooper and Mr. Veikai, and other relevant documents are in his possession.

Atty. Nah, however, refused to submit or provide copies of those documents to FPA. 

“The information there is false and misleading. The family has no standing to prove the allegation. My client is the legally married wife of the late Taweh Veikai, Sr. Apparently, the family does not know, or maybe they know but they decided to close their eyes on the facts,” he stated. 

A called conference between the deceased family and Madam Cooper at the court did not yield fruitful results. 

Residents of Caldwell, New Georgia are calling for the timely adjudication of the matter to avoid chaos or dispute between family members of the deceased and Madam Cooper.