-After 16 Years of Legal Battle
Monrovia, Liberia – A jury has awarded four former employees of the Liberia Coca-Cola Bottling Company (LCCBC) a total of US$13 million in general and compensatory damages. This comes after sixteen years of legal battles that began with criminal charges and evolved into a civil suit.
George Paye, Emmanuel Tyler, Sam Oye, and Tonia Kparteh, represented by Cllr. Arthur Johnson, secured the verdict in their Action of Damages for Wrong against the beverage company, concluding a protracted legal struggle that had cast a shadow over their lives for over a decade and a half.
The case began in 2011, when the four, along with others, were initially indicted by LCCBC for allegedly stealing US$1.8 million from the company’s proceeds. While charges were dropped against some, Paye, Tyler, Oye, and Kparteh remained on trial for years. In 2019, Criminal Court ‘C’ dropped the criminal charges against the four after nine years of prosecution failure to proceed, which it deemed a violation of the Criminal Procedure Law.
However, the stigma of the allegations had already taken a severe toll. For more than fifteen years, the plaintiffs endured public scrutiny and social stigma, with their reputations and dignity suffering as they were branded as criminals.
They carried the social burden of the allegations, which affected their personal lives, families, and professional opportunities.
The US$13 million award is intended to address the wrongs and injuries they alleged to have suffered.
This case represents more than a monetary award. It symbolizes the plaintiffs’ prolonged struggle for justice, dignity, and the restoration of their good names. After sixteen years of litigation spanning both criminal and civil proceedings, the matter has finally reached a decisive stage in which the plaintiffs’ long-awaited pursuit of vindication has been recognized by the trial jury.
For George Paye, Emmanuel Tyler, Sam Oye, and Tonia Kparteh, the verdict brings a measure of closure and a chance to restore their standing in society and move forward from a legal journey that lasted sixteen years.
