MONROVIA, LIBERIA – The National Civil Society Council of Liberia (NCSCL) has distanced itself from a group calling itself Civil Society Network of Liberia (CSNL) that evaded the privacy of Mr. Henry F. Saamoi, Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the International Bank Liberia Limited (IBLL), who recently filed an Action for Divorce before the Civil Law Court of Montserrado County.
It can be recalled that the IBLL CEO on May 22, 2023, filed an action of divorce for incompatibility of temper and cruel and inhumane treatment at the Civil Law Court against his wife, Vivian Joe-Saamoi.
According to Complainant Saamoi, he married Madam Joe-Saamoi on December 6, 2015, with the mindset of living in peace, love and harmony, but unfortunately, she became violent by engaging in fist fights and has been very disrespectful in the presence of their children and Maid.
Among other things, he added in his six-count complaint that on two separate occasions his wife spilled blood and also threatened to break a bottle on his head.
And with the matter before the court, several individuals under the banner of CSNL went on to evade the privacy of Mr. Saamoi in the name of demanding “justice” for the divorcee.
However, NCSCL, which is the apex body of all CSOs in the country, released a statement Thursday, May 25, 2023, to condemn the act and distance itself from the CSO group’s action.
The statement calls on the public not to confuse the CSO Council with any group claiming to be a network organization of CSO, noting that the Council remains the only governing body of all CSOs in the country.
Furthermore, the Council indicated that Mr. Saamoi’s marital issue with his wife is already before a court of competent jurisdiction that is clothed with the legal responsibility to make a determination into the matter, and as such, no individual or group in the name of a CSO group should poke into a said issue once it has appeared before the court.
NCSCL asserted that the action exhibited by CSNL is far from advocacy, but is rather counterproductive and undermines the roles and responsibilities of CSOs.
“The Civil Society Network of Liberia whose primary objective should focus on societal ills went below the belt by condemning and/or maligning Mr. Saamoi for opting to dissolve his marriage for probable cause as required by the laws of Liberia,” said the Council in the statement issued under the signature of Chairperson Madam Loretta Alethea Pope-Kai.
“The question that lingers here is what law empowers the Civil Society Network of Liberia to get involved with the institution of marriage between a husband and a wife? I wish to use this medium to call on the leadership of the Civil Society Network of Liberia to understand and/or distinguish what constitutes “societal ills”.
