JFK Deputy CEO, Senior Administrator Arrested

Officers acting on the orders of Chief Justice Yamie Quiqui Gbeisay, on Thursday, July 23, arrested John F. Kennedy (JFK) Medical Center, Deputy Chief Executive Officer for Administration, Bendu S. Mensah and the senior administrator.

The pair were arrested for “contempt of court” in connection with the enforcement of a Supreme Court judgment, which involved Karen Gaydou Sehkehporh.

The two affected officials are currently before the Civil Law Court ‘A’ at the Temple of Justice in Monrovia, where the Assigned Judge, Nelson B. Chinneh, wants them to produce US$25,000 by 3 p.m., or face immediate imprisonment at the Monrovia Central Prison (MCP) for contempt.

Up to press time late last night, it was not cleared whether the men had complied with the court’s decision or not.

But their arrest followed a conference convened by Chief Justice Gbeisay at the Temple of Justice after the management of JFK 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 stemmed  from a Supreme Court citation issued on July 16, by the Clerk, 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, and the Management of JFK.”

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 failed 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 evolved from obtaining a favorable judgment to fight for its enforcement.

Despite prevailing through the 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 the 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 aggressively use its contempt powers to ensure that its decisions are respected.

The contempt proceedings have their roots in a medical malpractice case dating back to 2019, when Karen Gaydou Sehkehporh underwent an ‘abdominal hysterectomy’ 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, Madam 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 to the extent that Madam Sehkehporh repeatedly complained that neither the government, nor JFK had paid the compensation, even as her health continued to deteriorate.

The 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.