Counselor Cooper Kruah, defense lawyer for businessman Paul Jetty has decried alleged misinformation being spread against his client's character by complainant Bendu Fatamata Dukuly following a Civil Law Court ruling handed in favor of the defendant.

Cllr. Kruah told reporters on Friday that despite announcing an appeal before the Supreme Court of Liberia following the lower court's ruling against her, Madam Dukuly has allegedly been trying to misinform the public over what transpired at the Civil Law Court.

He recalled that during hearing of a petition for cancellation of a lease agreement for fraud filed by Madam Dukuly at the Civil Law Court, his client proved that she received from him $62,500 rental for five years based upon the agreement that she signed.

The defense lawyer also said two persons confirmed during hearing that at the signing of the agreement, Paul Raspal told Madam Dukuly that because he had leased other properties from her (Madam Dukuly's) family, he would have to lease the one in question in the name of some members of his family and not himself, if he must enter the agreement to lease the property.

"And he did it reluctantly only because she had expressed that she was sick and she needed money to go overseas for treatment. And the person whose name he put on the agreement was his first cousin, the gentlemen they normally call Paul Jetty and Paul Raspal who they normally call Paul Sethi are both children of brother and sister," said Cllr. Kruah.

Though this paper could not directly contact Madam Dukuly as a contact number purportedly belonging to her public affairs officer was termed as wrong number by a male respondent, a writ of summon from the Civil Law Court shows that Madam Dukuly refused that the property be leased to co-respondent Upjit Sachdeva (Paul Jetty) on grounds that his terms were too cheap...

The writ said the complainant sought the cancellation of the agreement on the basis that she was unaware of the named lessee (Jetty) appearing on the lease agreement until she landed in India for her surgery where she was shockingly informed that the claimed lessee was Jetty who she had refused to enter into agreement with for over 15 years.

But Cllr. Kruah argued that the agreement also provides that the lessee (leaseholder) has the right to assign the lease agreement and the right to sub-lease the agreement; suggesting that "even if Paul Raspal had put his name in the agreement, he had the right to sub-lease the agreement to a third party without the approval of Madam Dukuly."

"Under our law, when you file a complaint with a court, whenever there is a decision that you are not satisfied with, you have the right to appeal to the Supreme Court. The lawyer for Madam Dukuly announced an appeal to the Supreme Court, meaning that all of us are supposed to wait for the Supreme Court to hear the appeal," said Cllr. Kruah.

He however claimed that instead of awaiting the Supreme Court's decision, Madam Dukuly has elected to take to the press and has continued to give misleading information to the press, giving the impression to the public that the court did not rule on the facts.

"She has been giving complete misinformation to the public, not one thing that she has said that represent what transpired in the court room," he added.

Cllr. Kruah has meanwhile, urged Madam Dukuly to live with the agreement, saying "This lease is valid for 20 years, and she has to live with that."