Nearly two years, after Judge Boima Kontoe, of then the Monthly and Probate Court for Montserrado County placed several properties owned by the Testate Estate of the late Milad R. Hage, a Lebanese in the possession of his oldest daughter, Nohad Hage Mensah, one of the late Hage’s children mother, Oumou Sirleaf-Hage is refusing to honor the court’s mandate.
Despite imprisoning Oumou Sirleaf-Hage, she still being resistance and now engaged into provocative insults against the court and Nohad’s mother, and her Attorney-in-Fact Edith Hage Smith.
Hage died on April 19, 2010, leaving behind several children of both Lebanese’s mother and Liberian’s mothers, including the defiant Oumou Sirleaf Hage.
In the December 15, 2017 ruling, Judge Kontoe explained that the country’s jurisdiction provides that for one to own real property, title must be vested in that person by way of title deed duly probated and registered in keeping with law.
“ The survey report suggest that Nohad acquired her properties and probated and registered her deeds before Oumou Sirleaf Hage acquired hers thus, showing that Nohad’s title is older than that of Oumou Sirleaf-Hage , thereby giving this court every reason to give greater consideration and weight to Nohad’s deeds as against Oumou Sirleaf-Hage,” Kontoe’s judgment established.
Kontoe’s ruling continues, “This court holds that the deed in favor of Nohad Milad Hage Mensah, and the deed for one lot from John Barwosole Arkoi to Barchir MIlad Hage, Rockel MIlad Hage and Nohad Hage are valid and genuine.”
Kontoe’s ruling also said, “Nohad Milad Hage Mensah should therefore, be placed in possession of her properties and in joint possession and ownership of the property she jointly owns with her siblings, Barchir Milad Hage and Rockel Milad Hage.”
In that judgment, Kontoe clarified that the survey report that found that basis of his decision showed that the parties that sold the properties engaged in double sale of the land to the late Milard R. Hage for and on behalf of his children.
Oumou Sirleaf-Hage’s attitude has now led to Madam Smith to defend the integrity of the court and her daughter, Nohad.
At one point, Madam Smith was heard saying, “Oumou was one of Mr. Hage’s many girl friends with whom he had her children by.”
After Hage died, Oumou quickly produced two marriage certificates, leaving us to wonder why two marriage certificates just for one man?
When Mr. Hage died, Oumou calculated on how to trample with every property that was bought for Nohad Hage, even though, she had the 74 stores for she and her children and yet stole Nohad Hage’s personal properties, changed all her deeds and placed them in her children’s name to add to her wealth.
Besides, Oumou was said to not have been around when Mr. Milad Hage and his daughter, Nohad started to build his estates but later came in as Mr. Hage never left her emptied handed, instead, he gave her lots of stores and lands, yet still, she deprived Nohad Hage for three years and stole all her money.
Madam has repeatedly said, late Hage was living with his daughter Nohad Hage in Kakata before moving to Monrovia to build his estate in Red light and bought several properties for his Liberian daughter Nohad Hage.
“Oumou is lying and misleading the public. She is not satisfied with the 74 stores personally belonging to her and her children. These stores have been completely turned over to Oumou” remarked Mrs. Edith Hage Smith, mother of Nohad Hage, the oldest Liberian daughter of the late Mr. Milad Hage.
“Oumou is vexed why Mr. Milad Hage placed some of the properties in his first legally recognized Liberian daughter’s name. So she tried to steal Mr. Hage’s property by fraudulently removing her oldest Liberian daughter name from the property of the original deed,” Madam Smith noted.
The case grew from March 2, 2016, when Nohad Hage Mensah by and thru her Attorney-in-Fact Edith Hage Smith filed Bill of Information before the Monthly and Probate Court, alleging that she is the eldest daughter of late Milad R. Hage, and that at the time of the death of their father, she was an adult capable of representing herself in administering the Testate Estate of their late father.
But, the court granted her the authority to jointly administer the estate alone with Oumou Sirleaf Hage, mother of three of her siblings.
Initially, the case was first heard by the Supreme Court, which emerges when Oumou Sirleaf-Hage on May 9, 2011 filed a motion before the same Monthly and Probate Court to exclude properties jointly owned by her and Nohad Hage Mensah from the Testate Estate of Milad R. Hage.
In that motion, Oumou asked the court to order the audit of one Bassam Jawhary, another Lebanese national who was handling the funds generated by the Milad’s estate, following Hage’s death.
That case never heard because the parties appeal the matter before the Supreme Court.
In was after hearing the matter that Chief Justice Francis S Korkpor rendered judgment and forward it to then Judge Eva Mappy Morgan of the Monthly and Probate Court to preside over the matter.
Judge Morgan, currently chief judge of the Commercial Court in Monrovia.
But, for her delay to handle implement the Supreme Court’s mandate, it was when Justice Korkpor mandated then Judge Kontoe to resume jurisdiction over the matter.
Justice Korkpor’s mandate to Morgan said, “Determine whether or not the properties covered by the lease agreement include properties owned by the children of Milad R. Hage and Oumou Sirleaf – Hage and Milad R. Hage so far as it covers and relates to the properties owned by said children.”
Morgan then, in adherence of the Supreme Court’s mandate, she ordered the conduct of a demarcation survey and further instructed both Oumou and Nohad to submit names of their respective surveyors to serve on a panel of surveyors.
The panel was chaired by, Mr. Albert D. Giah, a licensed surveyor from the Ministry of Lands, Mines and Energy now Ministry of Mines and Energy.
However, the panel report was never read up to and including the time the matter Morgan was presiding over the court, which prompted Justice Korkpor to assign Judge Boima Kontoe to adjudicate the said case.
Immediately, afterward, Judge Kontoe assigned the case for hearing on December 8, 2017.
During that hearing, Nohad Hage Mensah’s Attorney-in-Fact, Edith Hage Smith presented a title deed for 1.61lots of land entitled from Mai B. Roberts to Nohad Hage while, Oumou Sirleaf-Hage presented a title deed for the same 1.61 lots from Mai B. Roberts to Bashir M. and Nohad Hage.
The two deeds as verified at the Center for National Documents and Archives indicate that the Mai B. Roberts to Nohad Hage deed was purchased on December 7, 1995, probated and registered on December 22, 1995, while the Mai B. Roberts to Bashir M and Nohad Hage was purchased, in July 1997, probated and registered on July 22, 1997, two years, after Nohad purchased her property.
Nohad also presented a title deed for 1.9lots of land entitled from John J. Dosen to Nohad Hage, while, Oumou Sirleaf-Hage presented a deed for 1.9lots of land from John G. Dosen to Oumou Sirleaf and Bashir M. Hage.
The deed presented by Oumou Sirleaf-Hage, after being verified at the Center for National Documents and Archives indicates that the property was acquired and purchased on October 18, 1996 probated and registered on November 12, 1996, while the deed presented by Nohad also indicates that the same parcel of land was brought from the John G. Dosen in favor of Nohad M. Hage on August 4, 1989, and, later the deed was probated and registered on August 11, 1989 and accordingly registered.
During the investigation, Nohad also presented a title deed for 1lot of land entitled from John Barwosole Arkoi to Bachir Milad Hage, Nohad Hage and Rockel MIlad Hage, while Oumou Sirleaf-Hage, presented a title deed for the same 1 lot of land from John Barwosole Arkoi . The two deeds as verified at the Center for National Documents and Archives indicate that the deed was probated and registered on July 2, 1999; while Oumou Sirleaf-Hage’s deed shows that the same land was purchased in favor of Bachir and Rockel Hage on June 29, 1999 and probated and registered on July 5, 1999.
It was against the background of the survey’s report that Judge Kontoe, in his judgment said, “This court holds that the deed in favor of Nohad Milad Hage Mensah, and the deed for one lot from John Barwosole Arkoi to Barchir MIlad Hage, Rockel MIlad Hage and Nohad Hage are valid and genuine.
Kontoe further ruled that “Nohad Milad Hage Mensah should therefore, be placed in possession of her properties and in joint possession and ownership of the property she jointly owns with her siblings, Barchir Milad Hage and Rockel Milad Hage.”
Comments are closed.