Just a day after the Supreme Court of Liberia ruled in favor of the Asset Recovery and Property Retrieval Team (AREPT) against popular transportation company Gracious Ride, in a case seeking to block the Team from seizing vehicles belonging to the company, the Chairman of AREPT Cllr. Edwin Kla Martin says there will be no more interference in their work.
He said the court’s ruling reinforced all of the command structures of the AREPT to resist the evil forces of corruption and theft, adding that the Team has taken seize of 17 high-profile cases ranging from theft of public assets, acquisition of suspicious property, theft through fake road construction companies, construction firms and theft of liquid assets.
Speaking Thursday, February 20, 2025, Cllr. Kla Martin said the Assets Recovery and Property Retrieval Task Force came into existence as a consequence of Executive Order #126 which was announced by the President Joseph Boakai in consonance with his constitutional powers granted him by the 1986 Constitution under Chapter 2 Article 5c.
He said their team of investigators along with other state actors were selected to make inquiry of Gracious Ride’s legitimate title documents since its acquisition and operations as a transport company were suspicious. But following this action, AREPT received eight court writs from Gracious Ride. This saw the halt of its operations for nearly nine months.
The matter was formally assigned on January 14, 2025 and after final argument, the Honorable Court ruled and denied Anita Group/ Gracious Ride petition thereby legitimizing the constitutional power of Executive Order #126 on February 18, 2025.
“We are set to beat anyone legally who will challenge the legitimacy and authority of the Assets Recovery and Property Retrieval Task Force,” he said.
He said, “Now that the Supreme Court has ruled in AREPT’s favor, same has settled the legality and legitimacy over Executive Order #126 and the constitutional existence of the Task Force in consonance with Article 5c of the 1986 constitution.
After the ruling from the high court, Cllr. Martin said the Asset Recovery Team had on the 19th day of February put in a motion to set the stage to commence its investigation on the possession of illegal assets, suspicious assets, and theft of public resources.
Meanwhile, AREPT has called on the persons of interest who will be invited for questioning to comply and abide by the rule of law, saying that willful and deliberate refusal on the part of persons of interest not to respect the Team’s invitation, its investigative panel will be left with no alternatives but use available evidence in its possession to formally charge, indict and subsequently prosecute said person in keeping with the rule of law.
“The Task Force wants to inform the media and the public that it has verified and taken seize of 17 high-profiled cases, ranging from theft of public assets, acquisition of suspicious property, theft through fake road construction companies, construction firms and theft of liquid assets,” the Asset Recovery boss said.
However, he said, “During the period of the nine months stay order, persons of interest acting under the cover of darkness criminally transferred suspicious money from their accounts, changed bank accounts, illegally crossed GOL vehicles to neighboring countries and sold them, resprayed, and changed the original identity of GOL vehicles, changed title deed overnight, and falsified documents to invade the original identity of Gol assets.”
Cllr Martin said Liberia has gone through a lot as a consequence of theft and corruption, and it is about time that the country rises up to this fight.
“When this battle is won, our infrastructure development will transform, hospitals, schools, and roads will be modernized to meet international standards,” The AREPT Chairman said.
By Lucky M. McGee
