Liberian official sues government for $10 million over unlawful suspension

Emma Glassco, the suspended Director General of Liberia’s National Fisheries and Aquaculture Authority (NaFAA), has sued the Liberian government for US$10million as compensation for her alleged unlawful suspension by President Joseph Boakai’s administration.

Ms Glassco, 39, sued the Liberian government on Monday at the ECOWAS Court of Justice in Abuja, Nigeria, the regional court accessible to West African citizens to seek redress for human rights violations.

The suit, marked: ECW/CCJ/APP/19/25, was filed by Ms Glassco’s team of lawyers led by a former Chief Justice of Liberia, Kabineh Ja’nneh, and Sayma Cephus.

The applicant told the ECOWAS Court that she was arbitrarily suspended from office in February by President Boakai over alleged “financial inefficiency,” a copy of the suit obtained by PREMIUM TIMES on Monday reveals.

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Insisting that her suspension did not follow the due process of her country’s laws, the applicant averred that she was neither investigated nor found culpable by any anti-corruption agency in Liberia.

She told the court that her unceremonious removal from office lowered her reputation in the eyes of the public, adding that it portrayed her as someone that lacked integrity.

The Republic of Liberia was sued as the sole respondent in the matter.

Amongst other things, Ms Glassco specifically urged the regional court for a monetary award in the amount of US$10 million as compensation for “multiple injuries suffered, state-organised harassment, emotional and psychological trauma, public humiliation, false stigmatisation, which the applicant has suffered and continues to suffer.”

She also sought an order directing the Liberian government to pay special damages to her in the amount not less than USD $175,000 “for the unexpired term of the applicant’s four years contract to address the unnecessary financial hardships imposed on applicant and family.”

She also asked the court to declare that the respondent’s conduct in removing her was wrong and constituted a gross violation of the tenure law of Liberia; “and by that wrong, Applicant has suffered immeasurable injuries, both in professional standing and psychological outlook.” Hence, she requested that the court declare she be compensated with an amount not less than USD$5, 000,000.

The applicant further asked the Liberian government to tender a public apology in all newspapers, aired in all radio and TV stations and in Liberia’s official website, “for falsely portraying the Applicant as corrupt, thereby subjecting her to all sort of fictitious investigation and making Applicant to become a complete outcast and a public enemy number one unjustifiably in her own country without evidence.”

Furthermore, the applicant asked the court to order the respondent to pay the sum of US$250,000 to cover the cost of the litigation.

Meanwhile, the court has yet to fix a date for the hearing , PREMIUM TIMES learnt from the court’s registry.