Liberia: Central Bank of Liberia Executive Governor J. Aloysius Tarlue sued for alleged failure to pay rent

An octogenarian property owner, Moisema A. Dorley, by and thru his Attorney-in-Fact, Joseph Jimmy Sankaituah, has sued the Central Bank of Liberia Executive Governor, J. Aloysius Tarlue, for his alleged failure to pay his rent for the property he is currently residing in. The property is located in the Rehab Community of Paynesville, also where President George Manneh Weah, former Vice President Joseph Nyumah Boakai and a host of other senior government officials have their homes.

Plaintiff Dorley, in his complaint to the Debt Court at the Temple of Justice in Monrovia, says that in October 2018, he and Defendant Tarlue entered an agreement for the lease of his four-bedroom house contained in a concrete fence and situated on 1.0 lot of land in Paynesville City.

“Under the agreement, Plaintiff would move in, possess and occupy the demised premises for a one-year period commencing on 1st November 2018 and ending on 31st October 2019. This arrangement is evidenced by a draft lease agreement which was never signed by either party,” Mr. Dorley further says.

To prove his case and to make it weighty before the Montserrado County Debt Court Judge, James E. Jones, the Plaintiff’s legal team headed by Attorney Alston C. Armah, attached to his complaint various “exhibits” including the unsigned lease agreement mentioned above, so they can form a cogent part of the proceedings.

Further in his charge, he disclosed that Executive Governor Tarlue had made an initial payment of US$5,400 as the first 12-months’ rent payment at the monthly rate of US$450.

He further complains that Mr. Tarlue should have checked out of his property at the end of the lease year on October 31st, 2019, according to their unsigned lease agreement but Defendant Tarlue hasn’t allegedly left his property and hasn’t also made any other payment since that initial payment was made.

“Plaintiff says that, at this stage, he began engaging Defendant to make payment for the period of his occupancy since the expiration of the first one year. Plaintiff further alleges that, as a result of constant follow-ups and engagements with the Defendant, the Defendant made a second one-year payment in two installments – first US$4,200 and second US$1,200 – which constituted payment of rent for the second one-year period covering 1st November 2019 through 31st October 2020…,” the Plaintiff’s complaint stated.

“Since the payment for the second year, Defendant has refused, failed and neglected to make any further payment of rent. Furthermore, Plaintiff says as a result of Defendant’s failure to pay the rental, Defendant has accumulated indebtedness to Plaintiff in the amount of US$10,800.00 for the period of two years covering 1st November 2020 up to and including 31st October 2022.”

Mr. Dorley beseeched Judge Jones to adjudge Defendant Tarlue liable to him in the amount of US$11,448.00 “representing (a) US$10,800 as rental owed for the period 1st November 2020 through 31st October 2022; and (b) 6% statutory interest of US$648.00.”