SUPREME COURT TRASHES GRACIOUS RIDE’S PETITION AGAINST EXECUTIVE ORDER 126

February 19, 2025

By Florence D. Nyenatiee

Monrovia: The Supreme Court has rejected a petition filed by Gracious Ride Incorporated, seeking to make Executive Order 126 unconstitutional. In its petition, Gracious Ride’s management requested that the High Court issue an order declaring Executive Order 126 establishing the Assets Recovery and Property Retrieval Task Force unconstitutional.

However, the Court ruled that the petition lacked legal standing, as Gracious Ride’s management was not authorized to represent the interests of a third party who was not present before the Court. In the ruling, Associate Justice Jamesetta Wolokollie stated, “Having reviewed the records, considered the arguments presented, and examined the relevant laws, it is hereby adjudged that the petitioners do not have standing to assert the interests of a third party who is not before the Court, and they cannot raise claims on behalf of that party.”

The Court further noted, “Moreover, the petitioners have failed to sustain the burden of proving that Executive Order 126, which established the Assets Recovery and Property Retrieval Task Force, violates any statutes. Therefore, the petition is denied for lack of a proper challenge.” In early 2024, the President issued Executive Order 126 with the aim of identifying and recovering public resources acquired through corruption.

The enforcement of this Executive Order was suspended by the Supreme Court following challenges to the legitimacy of the task force. The legal challenge arose after Madam Finda Bundoo, owner of Gracious Ride Incorporated and former Chief of Protocol to former President George Weah, questioned the task force’s authority. Gracious Ride contended that only the Liberia Anti-Corruption Commission (LACC) had the statutory responsibility to seize and recover allegedly stolen public assets, not a committee appointed by the President.

The task force countered that Gracious Ride lacked the legal standing to file such a petition. It further argued that the issuance of Executive Orders falls within the President’s quasi-legislative and judicial powers, as outlined in Chapters 4 and 5 of the 1986 Constitution of Liberia.

The task force maintained that this authority is part of the President’s responsibility to address the misuse of government resources and combat corruption. Ultimately, the Court ruled that Gracious Ride’s petition, which challenged the constitutionality and authority of President Boakai’s Executive Order 126, was without merit. “Wherefore, in view of the foregoing, the petitioner’s request for an order declaring Executive Order 126 unconstitutional is hereby denied,” the Court concluded.