Liberian Journalist Lyndon Ponnie yesterday sued steel giant ArcelorMittal and other companies, for Action of Damages at the Civil Law Court at the Temple of Justice in Monrovia.
Mr. Lyndon Ponnie, Editor of the Concord Times Newspaper in Monrovia sued ArcelorMittal and other companies in Liberia and England, for singly and jointly illegally shutting down his newspaper’s website-concordtimes.net for publishing a 17-year-investigative story that revealed that Mittal Steel did not originally win the bid for the Nimba Mountain; and that it sought the assistance of former US Ambassador accredited to Liberia John W. Blaney to take control of the former LIMINCO.
ArcelorMittal through their lawyers in London claimed the Concord Times reports were incorrect; and therefore asked the website host which is also based in England, to take down the stories without approval from the management of the Newspaper in Liberia.
The website host didn’t just take the stories down but shut down the entire website in 2020.
Based on these illegal and draconian actions by Mittal Steel and others; lawyers representing Mr. Ponnie and Concord Times Newspaper, Counsellor-At-Law Finley Y. Karngar, and other counsels from the Success Thinkers law office in Monrovia, filed a lawsuit for the action of Damages against Mittal and its collaborators and is claiming US$9,700 in specific Damage representing the loss of business opportunities since the unilateral shutdown of the website.
The lawyers are also demanding an amount not exceeding U$10 Million and not to be below US$8 Million, for the pains experienced by Mr. Ponnie due directly and indirectly to the defendants, individual and joint conducts; and grant unto him other rights and privileges the court considers just, legal and equitable under the circumstances.
