– Mrs. Saamoi Reacts
While on the witness stand on Tuesday, May 23, 2023, Madam Saamoi, who is the Sales and Commercial Manager at the Liberia Cement Corporation [CEMENCO] and the wife of the Chief Executive Officer of International Bank, Mr. Henry Saamoi, said the crisis in their marriage began in 2019 when her husband, Mr. Henry Saamoi, started regular exercise at a gym.
Mrs. Saamoi revealed that on many occasions her husband has begun doing strange things, like answering his phone outside, contrary to what she knew him for.
She described her husband’s reason for divorce as laughable and saw no tangible reason to grant the divorce, stating that all of the allegations leveled against her by her husband are false, as at all times she kept her marital vow.
“His claims against me are false and misleading because, since our union, I have always kept my vows as a wife, and at no point in time have I disrespected my husband,” she added.
The IB Bank CEO’s wife maintained that it is laughable to make lavish allegations against her husband, assuming that without admitting she would have engaged in said act, the complainant would have reported the matter to the police and obtained a police or medical report to prove his claim.
She added that the IB Bank CEO had been very violent, cruel, inhumane, insulting, and disrespectful to the extent that the plaintiff has on several occasions beaten her whenever she confronts him about his activities with other ladies, most especially those from the gym and his office staff.
“The other day I saw several nude photos of different ladies in my husband’s phone, including his female office staff. When I confronted him, he apologized and pleaded with me that I should have compassion for him for the sake of our marriage.” Madam Saamoi said:
The International Bank Chief Executive Officer’s wife maintains that contrary to what her husband said, he has been the one who abandoned his marital vows and became very irresponsible and constantly engaged in extramarital affairs, to the extent that he became very brutal.
While Mrs. Saamoi explained that she and her husband were good friends after their marriage and they both started acquiring properties, having joint accounts, and other businesses, their hope was the fruit of the womb, which God did.
Meanwhile, the Judge of Civil Law Court “A”, J. Kennedy Peabody, has nullified an amended motion of Mrs. Vivian J. Saamoi against her husband, demanding US$6,000 of his monthly salary for her support. According to court records in our possession, Judge J. Kennedy Peabody’s ruling was also upheld by the Supreme Court’s Chamber Justice, Her Honor Justice Jamesetta Howard-Wolokollie, denying Mrs. Saamoi’s Petition for a Writ of Certiorari.
It can be recalled that the husband of Mrs. Saamoi, Mr. Henry F. Saamoi, who is also the Chief Executive Officer of the International Bank Liberia Limited, filed an action of divorce through the Civil Law Court “A” against his wife for incompatibility of temper and cruel and inhumane treatment.
The plaintiff (Mr. Saamoi), according to the court documents in possession of this media institution, filed the complaint on October 21, 2021, following their marriage on December 6, 2015.
In his complaint, Mr. Saamoi recounted that it was his expectation that after their holy matrimony, both partners would live together in peace, harmony, happiness, and caring for one another, and if blessed with children, care for, support, and bring up such children in keeping with their Christian faith.
But he informed the court that contrary to such expectations, his wife, Mrs. Vivian J. Saamoi, in violation of her marital vow, became disrespectful by using inventive and insulting words such as stupid, foolish, irresponsible, and useless in the presence of the maid and children in their marital home.
The CEO of the IB Bank (Liberia) Limited added that aside from those counts against her, his wife has been very violent, engaging in fistfights with him on two occasions, spilling his blood, and also threatening and vowing to break a bottle on his head if ever he discloses that she insulted him, adding that several interventions were made by her pastor and others but all failed.
At the same time, Mr. Saamoi averred that since the matter was getting worse daily, he wrote a communication to his wife on February 22, 2019, detailing her conduct, behavior, and attitude, which he said made both living together dangerous.
He stressed, according to the court documents, that he informed Mr. Saamoi that he was leaving and vacating their marital home on Sunday, February 23, 2020, which he built prior to their marriage to preserve his life.
Based on these reasons and many others, Mr. Saamoi prayed to the court for a decree dissolving the marital contract entered into by both of them to allow each other to go their separate ways as though such a contract had never been made and executed.
However, in resistance to his action of divorce, Madam Vivian J. Saamoi filed a petition for an Alternative Writ of Certiorari before the Civil Law Court “A” and simultaneously filed a Motion for Alimony Pendente Lite and Support for her and their minor son, Henry F. Saamoi, Jr.
In her petition, Mrs. Saamoi requested US$6,000 (six thousand United States dollars) for her alimony, representing about one-third (1/3) of her husband’s monthly income, and also an amount of US$1,500 (one thousand five hundred dollars) representing monthly support and upkeep payments for their minor son.
However, according to the Court’s Ruling on the Amended Motion for Alimony and Support, per the document in our possession, the court indicated that under Liberian law, in an action of divorce, the husband is to support his wife while the case still goes on.
Considering this factor, the court stressed that under no condition could a judgment be passed in its wisdom on the amended motion for alimony and support without considering the prenuptial agreement signed between both parties on November 30, 2015, prior to their marriage.
Therefore, the Judge of the Civil Law Court “A”, J. Kennedy Peabody, as a reliance, quoted Count 14 of the Prenuptial Agreement: “In the event that there is a separation of the parties, Vivian will be entitled to support in the maximum monthly amount of US$500 every month on the condition that the parties have been married for a minimum of two years and Henry is still gainfully employed; therefore, Count 14 of the Prenuptial Agreement is not in dispute”.
Also in Count 15 of the Prenuptial Agreement is the statement that the parties realize that their respective financial circumstances may be altered in the future by changes in their health, the cost of living, their employment, their marital status, the breakdown of their relationship, or otherwise. No such changes shall give either party the right to see additional support under any law.
Hence, per the court document, Judge Peabody clearly stated that Count 15 of the Prenuptial Agreement defeats the contention of Mrs. Vivian J. Saamoi that she is entitled to one-third of her husband’s income against a legitimate contract signed by both parties, adding that either party is legally obligated to uphold and abide by the stipulations (counts) contained in the Prenuptial Agreement because both parties assented and signed the instrument with their sound minds.
Also passing judgment on the awarding of alimony pendent lite in the amount of US$6,000 per month and to be paid retroactively from February 23, 2020, and during the pendency of the divorce action as prayed for by Mrs. Vivian J. Saamoi, the Civil Law Court Judge stressed that such a decision cannot be left to the discretion of the parties in the proceedings.
He noted that the spirit and intent of the law clearly obligate the court to use its discretion, considering the required justice and circumstances of the parties in these proceedings, to make a determination of the matter.
Judge J. Kennedy Peabody said that consistent with Section 9.3 of the Domestic Relations Law of Liberia, which seeks the discretion of the court in determining such cases, Mrs. Vivian J. Saamoi is only entitled to US$500 as support monthly from the date of filing the action of divorce, contrary to her previous demand of US$6,000 monthly from her husband’s monthly income.
He further indicated that the judgment extends up to and including the date of the ruling as alimony and US$500 monthly too for the support of their minor son, Henry Saamoi, Jr., excluding school fees, something that also defeats her previous demand of US$1,500 from her husband, Mr. Henry Saamoi’s, monthly salary for their son’s support.
Meanwhile, the final ruling in the action of divorce as prayed for by the Chief Executive Officer of the International Bank (Liberia) Limited, Mr. Henry Saamoi, against his wife, Mrs. Vivian J. Saamoi, is expected to come up anytime this week.
