Monrovia -Officers acting on the orders of Chief Justice Yamie Quiqui Gbeisay, Sr., have arrested John F. Kennedy Medical Center, JFK, Deputy Chief Executive Officer for Administration, Bendu S. Mensah and another senior administrator over alleged contempt of court in connection with the enforcement of a Supreme Court judgment involving Karen Gaydou Sehkehporh.
By: Willie N. Tokpah
The two officials are currently before Civil Law Court “A”, where Assigned Judge Nelson B. Chinneh informed them that they must produce US$25,000 by 3:00 p.m. on Thursday, July 23, or face immediate commitment to the Monrovia Central Prison for contempt.
The arrests followed a conference convened by Chief Justice Gbeisay at the Temple of Justice after the management of JFK allegedly failed to comply with the Supreme Court’s final judgment in favor of Madam Sehkehporh.
Judicial sources said the Chief Justice ordered the officials taken into custody after determining that previous efforts to secure compliance with the Court’s mandate had been unsuccessful.
The contempt proceedings stem from a Supreme Court citation issued on July 16, 2026, by Clerk of Court Sam Mamulu, directing the parties to appear before the Chief Justice regarding the enforcement of the Court’s judgment in the matter captioned, “In Re: Karen Gaydou Sehkehporh of Paynesville City versus His Honor Nelson B. Chinneh, Assigned Circuit Judge of the Civil Law Court, Sixth Judicial Circuit, Montserrado County, Republic of Liberia, and the Management of the John F. Kennedy Medical Center.”
The Supreme Court’s latest action represents one of the strongest judicial enforcement measures against senior officials of a public institution in recent years.
Rather than imposing sanctions against the institution alone, the Court has moved directly against members of its management, signaling that public officials who fail to obey final court judgments could face personal liability, arrest, and imprisonment.
At the center of the dispute is Karen Gaydou Sehkehporh, whose legal battle has evolved from obtaining a favorable judgment to fighting for its enforcement.
Despite prevailing through Liberia’s judicial system, she has allegedly been forced to seek repeated intervention from the Supreme Court because the judgment has not been fully executed.
Legal analysts say the case exposes a longstanding weakness within Liberia’s justice system, where litigants often succeed in court but struggle for years to enforce judgments against government agencies and public corporations.
Thursday’s arrests suggest the Supreme Court is prepared to use its contempt powers aggressively to ensure that its decisions are respected.
As of publication, the two JFK officials remained under arrest before Civil Law Court “A”, awaiting the expiration of the court-imposed deadline.
Should they fail to comply with the Court’s order by 3:00 p.m., Judge Chinneh is expected to order their immediate incarceration at the Monrovia Central Prison, marking a rare instance in which senior executives of a major public health institution are jailed for allegedly defying the authority of Liberia’s highest court.
The contempt proceedings have their roots in a medical malpractice case dating back to 2019. Karen Gaydou Sehkehporh underwent an abdominal hysterectomy at the John F. Kennedy Medical Center after doctors suspected ovarian cancer.
Although she was discharged and informed that the surgery had been successful, she later developed severe abdominal pain and other life-threatening complications.
A subsequent corrective operation at a private hospital reportedly revealed that surgical gauze had been left inside her abdomen during the procedure at JFK, leading to infection, multiple surgeries, prolonged suffering, and the development of a fistula condition, according to court records.
In 2020, Sehkehporh sued JFK Medical Center for medical negligence, seeking damages for the physical injuries, emotional trauma, and financial losses she suffered.
After years of litigation, Civil Law Court “B” ruled in her favor in November 2023, finding the hospital liable for malpractice.
In February 2025, the Supreme Court affirmed the judgment and awarded her US$350,000 in general damages, making the decision final and binding.
Despite the Supreme Court’s ruling, the judgment remained unenforced for more than a year. Sehkehporh repeatedly complained that neither the government nor JFK had paid the compensation, even as her health continued to deteriorate.
The prolonged delay prompted enforcement proceedings before the Supreme Court and later Civil Law Court “A”, with judges warning that continued noncompliance could attract contempt sanctions against responsible officials.
Thursday’s arrest of Deputy CEO for Administration Bendu S. Mensah and another senior JFK administrator marks the latest escalation in that enforcement battle, as the judiciary seeks to compel compliance with a judgment that has remained outstanding despite repeated court directives.
