-As Supreme Court Denies Its Bill of Information
By: G Bennie Bravo Johnson, I
The Supreme Court of Liberia has handed down a decisive opinion in the contentious property dispute involving the ruling Congress for Democratic Change (CDC) and the administrators of the Estate of the late Danielle P. Tucker Bernard, effectively dismissing and denying the CDC’s Bill of Information.
The Court’s judgment brought against the CDC on Thursday, May 30, 2025, not only rejected the party’s legal maneuver but also fined its lawyers for procedural impropriety.
The CDC had filed a Bill of Information with the Supreme Court, attempting to challenge ongoing legal proceedings concerning the ownership and occupancy of the party’s headquarters, situated on a disputed property. However, the Supreme Court held that the CDC, as a tenant who had paid US$360,000 in rental arrears covering 2018 to 2023, had effectively acknowledged a landlord-tenant relationship with the respondent, thereby recognizing the respondent’s authority over the property.
The dispute originated from a Civil Law Court ruling at the Temple of Justice, which ordered the CDC to vacate the premises following the expiration of its lease agreement and amid questions surrounding the rightful ownership of the land. The Civil Law Court held that the CDC was illegally occupying the property and, despite having previously claimed ownership based on political arrangements during the administration of former President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, failed to provide sufficient legal documentation establishing title.
The lower court recognized the Estate of Danielle P. Tucker Bernard as the legitimate title-holder, citing historical deeds and previous judicial determinations. That court further ordered the CDC to settle all rental arrears or face eviction. To avoid eviction, the party complied with the court’s mandate by paying US$360,000, signaling an acceptance of the landlord-tenant relationship.
Dissatisfied with the outcome, the CDC filed a Bill of Information before the Supreme Court, seeking to halt the enforcement of the lower court’s ruling and to intervene in a pending appeal between the Bernard Estate and a third party. The CDC argued that its interests were at stake in the unresolved property matter and therefore deserved to be joined as a party in the appeal.
The High Court, however, dismissed this claim as “preposterous and impermissible,” underscoring that the CDC, having acted as a tenant, could not question the title of its landlord. The Court clarified that by paying rent, the CDC had implicitly enforced the 2016 Supreme Court judgment which reaffirmed the estate’s ownership rights over the property.
Furthermore, the Supreme Court emphasized that the Bill of Information was procedurally flawed, noting that it failed to allege any interference with the judgment or mandate of the Supreme Court by a judge or judicial officer – a necessary criterion for such filings under the Court’s rules. As a result, the Justices ruled that the filing had no legal merit, and fined the CDC’s lawyers – Counsellors A. Ndubuisi Nwabudike, Thompson M. Jargba, and James N. Kumeh – US$500 each, to be paid into government revenue within 72 hours.
