A US$3.24 million judgment in a 13-year commercial dispute involving Ducor Petroleum Inc. has drawn attention to a 2013 court filing by Heritage Partners & Associates Inc., a law firm co-founded by President Joseph Nyuma Boakai’s nominee for Solicitor General, Cllr. Abraham Boimah Sillah, Sr.
The development comes as the Special Commercial Court has ordered the Monrovia Oil Trading Corporation (MOTC) to account for US$3,244,100.78 withdrawn from Ducor Petroleum’s account at the Liberia Bank for Development and Investment (LBDI), while recognizing businessman Amos Brosius as the company’s sole legitimate shareholder.
The September 18, 2026 ruling by Judge U-Jay W.H.S. Bright also ordered the release of seven checks totaling US$212,704.36 that had been held in escrow at Afriland First Bank Liberia Ltd.
The ruling has brought renewed public attention to the earlier proceedings because Heritage Partners & Associates represented MOTC during part of the 2013 litigation.
The commercial dispute dates back to July 2013, when then-Commercial Court Judge Eva Mappy-Morgan issued instructions concerning Ducor Petroleum’s LBDI Account No. 0221215153401.
A July 22, 2013 letter from Heritage Partners & Associates to the Commercial Court sought modification of the restriction affecting the account. The firm argued that the account was Ducor’s principal operating account and that restrictions on transactions were affecting the company’s day-to-day operations.
The letter requested that the restriction be limited to the value of seven checks totaling US$312,704.36, rather than applying to the entire account.
Court records subsequently show that on July 24, 2013, the Commercial Court Clerk wrote LBDI informing the bank that the earlier instruction prohibiting transactions without authorization from the court was withdrawn and that the account was being returned to “status quo ante.” The letter was approved by Judge Eva Mappy Morgan and copied to the lawyers involved in the case, including Heritage Partners & Associates.
The 2013 correspondence forms part of the documented procedural history of the dispute.
More than a decade later, Judge Bright’s Special Commercial Court examined financial records relating to Ducor Petroleum.
The court issued an August 5, 2026 order requiring commercial banks that maintained Ducor-related accounts between 2013 and 2018 to provide account statements.
After reviewing the records, the court found that US$3,244,100.78 had been withdrawn from Ducor’s LBDI account by 2018 and held MOTC liable for the amount. The court described the records as showing a “massive movement of cash.”
Judge Bright also rejected MOTC’s claim to a 90-percent equity interest in Ducor Petroleum and recognized Brosius as the company’s sole legitimate shareholder.
According to reports on the ruling, the court rejected MOTC’s reliance on a 2005 Memorandum of Understanding and its interpretation of the term “financier” as establishing an equity interest.
The court also noted the absence of corporate records it considered necessary to support MOTC’s claimed ownership interest, including Articles of Incorporation, share certificates, a stock ledger and a board resolution identifying MOTC as a shareholder.
The court further ordered that seven checks totaling US$212,704.36, which had been held in escrow at Afriland First Bank Liberia Ltd., be released to Brosius.
The commercial court ruling comes as Sillah assumes a senior position within the Ministry of Justice.
President Boakai appointed Sillah Acting Solicitor General effective September 11, 2026, pending Senate confirmation following the Legislature’s return in October. The Executive Mansion said the President expressed confidence in Sillah’s integrity, professional competence and experience and urged him to perform his responsibilities with diligence, impartiality and fidelity to Liberia’s Constitution and laws.
The President had earlier announced Sillah’s appointment as Solicitor General on September 2, with applicable appointments subject to Senate confirmation.
Sillah’s professional history includes legal practice and teaching. Reports on his appointment identify him as an experienced lawyer and a member of the Supreme Court Bar.
The connection between Sillah and the Ducor dispute, based on the available record, is that Heritage Partners & Associates, the firm with which he was associated, represented MOTC in the 2013 proceedings and submitted the July 22 request concerning the LBDI account.
The available court ruling on the September 18 judgment, however, does not establish personal liability against Sillah in connection with the US$3.24 million withdrawal.
The judgment instead identifies MOTC as liable for the amount withdrawn from Ducor’s LBDI account and addresses the ownership dispute between MOTC and Brosius.
The Ducor-MOTC dispute has remained before Liberia’s courts for years, involving competing claims over ownership of Ducor Petroleum and the handling of funds associated with the company.
The September 18 ruling represents the latest major judicial determination in the dispute, particularly concerning the US$3.24 million withdrawal and ownership of Ducor.
For purposes of Sillah’s pending confirmation, the documented record establishes his connection to the matter through the law firm that represented MOTC during the 2013 proceedings.
Any further assessment of his professional role would depend on the underlying court records, the complete history of the proceedings and the Senate’s review of his qualifications and professional record.
For now, the central established findings of the September 18 judgment are that MOTC is liable for US$3,244,100.78 withdrawn from Ducor’s LBDI account, Brosius is recognized as Ducor’s sole legitimate shareholder, and seven checks totaling US$212,704.36 are to be released to him.
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