were paid by Captino Inc. and no records to show that it actually transacted
business with its purported business partners in Liberia.
15. Counsel to the defendant concluded that plaintiff deliberately strapped the
money around his body determined to smuggle same into the country and violate
and evade the Immigration and Revenue Laws as well as penal laws of the
country. Defendant argued that she is entitled to withhold plaintiff's money as he
deliberately violated her laws.
16. In his reply to the defendant's defence, the plaintiff disputed the claims and
arguments of the defendant and stated that he violated no laws of the defendant.
Plaintiff stated that he did not incorrectly answer any questions put to him either
in a statutory immigration form or by the defendant's officials and challenged the
defendant to produce any documents wherein he failed to declare that he had
the money in question on him. Plaintiff averred that there were no officials of
defendant's Central Bank present when he arrived at the airport and hence his
inability to declare that he had the sum in question on him.
\·
17. The plaintiff continued that when he was accosted and questioned by security
officials as he was about to leave the airport, he promptly informed them that he
had the money on him. Further, counsel to the plaintiff contends that there is no
universally accepted mode of carrying cash and it is incumbent on everyone to
use the means that could effectively safeguard their
cash from theft. Plaintiff
contended that it is of no relevance whether the cash was strapped to his body or
not.
18. Plaintiff also stated that he 1s a businessman and has business interests in
both Nigeria and Liberia. He stated that he owned a private depot in Pleebo,
Maryland County, Liberia, where he stored rubber he purchased and resold to the .
Firestone Company in Liberia and also owned two motor vessels namely MV
Valerie and MV Prince Eweka, which plied Liberian routes transporting rubber
from Maryland to Monrovia. Plain1iff stated that the Status Report issued by
defendant's officials
during
investigations confirmed that
Memorandum of Understanding between
Pleebo Rubber
he submitted a
Corporation and
Captino Inc. and another Memorandum of Understanding between Firestone
7