Claim 1: “The Civil Law Court has issued an order to evict Congress for Democratic Change (CDC) from its headquarters.”
Claim 2: “CDC refused to pay rent for 6 years or even sign a lease for the use of the property.”
Martin Kollie, a Liberian based in the Netherlands, claimed on September 13, 2024, that the Sixth Judicial Circuit, Civil Law Court, issued an order to evict Congress for Democratic Change (CDC) from its headquarters.
Kollie claimed that the Court has turned over full ownership of the property that hosts CDC to Martha Bernard.
Boima JV Boima, former Deputy Director General for Rural Broadcasting at the State Radio, Liberia Broadcasting System (LBS), also claimed that the CDC refused to pay rent for 6 years or even sign a lease for the use of the property.
Kollie’s claim is found here; at the time of the check, the post attracted 885 reactions, 1k comments, and 90 shares, while Boima’s post attracted 58 reactions, 63 comments, and 9 shares.
CDC is a Liberian political party whose political leader is former president George Weah.
CDC headquarters is a testate estate of the late William Thomas Bernard to seven (7) beneficiaries, Martha Stubblefield Bernard. Archibald F. Bernard, Nancy Freddy Bernard Freeman, Murary Bernard, Vivian Bernard, William Bernard, and Leona P. Bernard.
Testate estate means inherited property from one who dies leaving a will. The late Bernard Testate’s estate executor and administrator is Ebrima Varney Dempster. With that position, he has the authority to manage and distribute the property among those seven beneficiaries.
The late Bernard Testate estate beneficiaries have been fighting a legal battle over the ownership of the property involving the CDC Headquarters for a longer period.
Ebrima Varney Dempster, who is the administrator of the late William Bernard, filed a lawsuit at the Civil Law Annex “A” on behalf of Martha Stubblefield-Bernard against Archibald F. Bernard, Nancy Freddy Bernard Freeman, Murary Bernard, Vivian Bernard, William Bernard, and Leona P. Bernard in 2015.
During the ruling, Judge Johannes Zogbay Zlahn, deceased, on May 15, 2015, ruled in favor of Martha as the rightful owner of the property, and the CDC was ordered to vacate the premises.
Stubblefield-Bernard’s property begins from the southeastern intersection of Tubman Boulevard, leading to Bernard Beach, which includes CDC Party Headquarters.
As a result of Judge Zlahn’s ruling, Archibald F. Bernard and other beneficiaries, including the CDC, represented by its former acting chairman, Nathaniel McGill, took an appeal to the full bench of the Supreme Court.
In 2016, the full bench said Archibald F. Bernard and the CDC during the hearing failed and neglected to produce witnesses to testify to the averment.
The ruling further states that Stubblefield-Bernard is entitled to and legally exercised her one-third dower right in place of any device under the will of her husband (William Thomas Bernard).
It furthered that Archibald F. Bernard and the CDC withheld Stubblefield-Bernard’s premises and hereby awarded the amount of US $50,000.00 for illegal withholding of the property.
“Accordingly, the final ruling entered by the Sixth Judicial Circuit Court, Montserrado County, in favor of Martha Stubblefield Bernard is confirmed and affirmed,” the Supreme Court’s ruling stated.
On February 20, 2017, CDC paid the amount of US$20,000.00 for a one-year (November 1, 2006 to October 31, 2017) rental fee for its headquarters premises.
Within the note signed by Ebrima Varney Dempster, administrator of the intestate (late Martha Stubblefield-Bernard), he stated that the rental fee for the next six (6) months (November 1, 2017, to April 30, 2018 ) amounts to US$10,000.00 and is due on December 1, 2017.
“As per their agreement of lease dated October 4, 2016, effective November 1, 2016, the lease agreement ends on April 30, 2018,” said Dempster.
On March 7, 2024, Judge Golda A. Bonah Elliot at the Civil Law Court issued a writ of possession commanding the sheriff to evict, eject, and oust the defendant’s Congress of Democratic Change from the headquarters and placing Stubblefield-Bernard in complete possession (4.23 acres of land) in keeping with the court final judgment dated May 15, 2015, rendered by Judge Zlahn.
The CDC on March 29, 2024, made a payment of $360,000 for possession, use, and occupancy of the premises through International Bank Limited for six years (January 2018 to December 31, 2023) as per the rental or lease agreement that was signed by Dempster.
With this ruling in favor of Stubblefield-Bernard taking full possession and ownership, she has the final decision to proceed with the eviction or extend the CDC rental or lease agreement.
On August 29, 2024, CDC filed a Bill of Information at the Civil Law Court seeking the court’s guidance on how to proceed with rent payments to the legitimate landlord (Stubblefield-Bernard) of a contested property.
Conclusion: With all of the court’s documents available, Martin is correct. Despite the CDC having concluded the payment of the previous six-year rent to Stubblefield-Bernard through her administrator on March 29, 2024, they are to be evicted. Also, Boima is correct that the CDC refused to pay rent for 6 years or even sign a lease for the use of the property while they were in power between 2018 and 2023.
