{"id":4660,"date":"2024-02-16T16:19:45","date_gmt":"2024-02-16T16:19:45","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/stage.thedaylight.org\/wp68\/?p=4660"},"modified":"2024-02-16T16:39:20","modified_gmt":"2024-02-16T16:39:20","slug":"villagers-hopes-hang-as-loggers-battle-in-court","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/stage.thedaylight.org\/wp68\/2024\/02\/16\/villagers-hopes-hang-as-loggers-battle-in-court\/","title":{"rendered":"Villagers’ Hopes Hang as Loggers Battle in Court"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Top: Coveiyalah\u2019s majority and minority shareholders have been in court for about two years, staling the company\u2019s agreement with Korninga A Community Forest. The DayLight\/James Harding Giahyue<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n\n\n\n

By Emmanuel Sherman<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n\n\n\n

GIANKPA, Gbarpolu \u2013 Villagers celebrated when Korninga \u201cA\u201d Community Forest signed a logging contract with Coveiyalah Investment Enterprise in March 2019.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWithin the next five years, I am hoping to see the community prospering when it comes to roads, sanitation, education and healthcare,\u201d said Armah Johnson, a member of Korninga A\u2019s leadership, at the time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In the agreement, Korninga A leased Coveiyalah 48,296 hectares of forest in exchange for development. There is even a provision for a wood science college, which campaigners criticized for being \u201cunrealistic.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Nearly five years on, Johnson and other villagers find themselves longing for even the realistic projects, common to community forest deals. There are no latrines, concrete bridges, health facilities and\u2014obviously\u2014wood science college.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For the last two years, the shareholders of Coveiyalah have been embroiled in a fierce lawsuit, leaving the community without their benefits.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

In 2022, Anthony Urey, Coveiyalah\u2019s 10 percent shareholder, sued Lu Li, the company\u2019s 90 percent shareholder, according to a court document.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The DayLight saw a notice from the Commercial Court in Monrovia at Coveiyalah\u2019s camp in Giankpa, halting its work. The company\u2019s log yard and personnel lodge were all overtaken by bush.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Levi Laban, a former liaison officer with the company said the company left many logs in the bush due to the case.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The court filing posted on an earthmover at the company\u2019s sawmill shows Urey petitioned the court for an indemnity bond and his partner objected. An indemnity bond ensures a remedy against a partner in a contract if that partner fails to uphold their obligations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Efforts to get the case file did not materialize as the matter is still before the court. Attempts to get it elsewhere proved unsuccessful.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Two years in court has been two years of wait, lack and frustration for Korninga A.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"
Korninga A Community Forest, which covers 48,296 hectares, signed an agreement with Coveiyalah Investment Enterprise in 2019. The DayLight\/James Harding Giahyue<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThere have been no payments done, land rental, [harvesting], or scholarships,\u201d said Emery Ciapha, the head of the community leadership of Korninga A.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Coveiyalah constructed two toilets but the community rejected them. Our reporter who visited Giankpa said grasses overran the facilities due to abandonment.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThat is not what we want,\u201d Ciapha said. \u201cThey are not the modern toilets we agreed upon.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Urey told the community leadership that they would make the payment after the case, according to Ciapha.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It was unclear how much Coveiyalah owes the villagers as Ciapha said he did not have the information. However, an analysis of the company’s previous payments, the agreement, and records of the Forestry Development Authority (FDA) places the amount to at least US$66,407 in land rental fees, US$55,058 in harvesting fees and US$30,000 in scholarships. That is US$151,465 in total.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"
Emery Ciapha, the head of an ad-hoc leadership of Korninga A Community Forest in Bokomu District, Gbarpolu County. The DayLight\/James Harding Giahyue<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Urey did not respond to The DayLight\u2019s inquiries on Korninga A and the case with his partners.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The case is the latest of Korninga A\u2019s nightmares. In 2022, the leaders of the forest misused US$76,000<\/a> and were jailed for it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

With the case still not being finalized, the FDA and civil society conducted an election in which Ciapha was elected head of an interim committee in September last year. It has a six-month mandate.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The community must review the agreement with Coveiyalah in May. In forestry, the community has the right to sign a 15-year agreement with the FDA to comanage its forest. Thereafter, villagers can sign a third-party agreement with a logging company of their choice with the FDA\u2019s approval. Then every five years, they are required to review the third-party agreement.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Ciapha said Korninga would push to cancel the contract with Coveiyalah.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cTime is about to elapse for the revision of the document, which is May 25,\u201d Ciapha said. \u201cWe are not thinking about the renewal of their contract after review because implementation is poor.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Top: Coveiyalah\u2019s majority and minority shareholders have been in court for about two years, staling the company\u2019s agreement with Korninga A Community Forest. The DayLight\/James Harding Giahyue By Emmanuel Sherman GIANKPA, Gbarpolu \u2013 Villagers celebrated when Korninga \u201cA\u201d Community Forest signed a logging contract with Coveiyalah Investment Enterprise in March 2019. \u201cWithin the next five […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":8,"featured_media":4664,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"give_campaign_id":0,"om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"_uf_show_specific_survey":0,"_uf_disable_surveys":false,"tdm_status":"","tdm_grid_status":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[53,54,3],"tags":[2732,123,1385,2731,107],"class_list":["post-4660","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-land-rights","category-logging","category-rainforest","tag-coveiyalah-investment-enterprise","tag-forestry-development-authority","tag-gbarpolu-county","tag-korninga-a-community-forest","tag-liberia"],"aioseo_notices":[],"aioseo_head":"\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\n","aioseo_head_json":{"title":"Villagers\u2019 Hopes Hang as Loggers Battle in Court - The DayLight","description":"GIANKPA, Gbarpolu \u2013 Villagers celebrated when Korninga \u201cA\u201d Community Forest signed a logging contract with Coveiyalah Investment Enterprise in March 2019.","canonical_url":"https:\/\/stage.thedaylight.org\/wp68\/2024\/02\/16\/villagers-hopes-hang-as-loggers-battle-in-court\/","robots":"noindex, nofollow, max-image-preview:large","keywords":"","webmasterTools":{"msvalidate.01":"CA6BD2F84653EA44942A55ABC0B35372","miscellaneous":""},"schema":null,"og:locale":"en_US","og:site_name":"The DayLight - The DayLight is a nonprofit, environmental news website. 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