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American Contractor: Debt Court Auctions Edward Fisher’s Properties

BY: Martin C. Benson

The Judge of the Debt Court at the Temple of Justice in Monrovia, Liberia on Thursday, August 14, 2014 auctioned the properties of Edward A. Fisher and his partner Joe Crane.

Mr. Fisher, of Boynton Beach Florida, the United States of America is co-founder and chief operating officer of the International Construction and Engineering Company (ICE), which was to perform earthworks and civil construction for the New Liberty process plant site as well as the construction of a Tailings Storage Facility, which was scheduled to commence in the second half of 2013. The work was scheduled to be completed in Q4 of 2014 with the completion of a 2.4 kilometer diversion of the Marvoe Creek, a 64-hectacre tailings dam and a 16-hectacre processing facility that can handle 2,000 tons of ore per day and also build the ancillary services such as a 600-man camp, roadways and a 350-family Relocation Assistance Program (RAP) community.

Both defendants are indebted to the Management of Sethi Brothers in the amount of US$615,763.15 and L$3,300 which led to the court action.

Judge James E. Jones gave the final judgment of the court on July 30th, 2014 after he adjudged the defendants E.D. Fisher and Joe Crane liable to Sethi Brothers.

The properties auctioned are one white Renault cement truck situated in Grand Cape Mount County, two Nissan Patrol jeeps, one motor concrete batching plant and one 60 tons mining crane.

The Judge final ruling followed after the defendants failed to make settlement of the amount owed which prompted the issuance of the Writ of Execution.

“Now therefore, public auction is hereby given by virtue of the levy made pursuant to the judgment and a Writ of execution on the defendants in these proceedings of the assets herein mentioned being the properties of the defendants.” A court document said. Meaning “ The owners of the International Construction and Engineering Company (ICE)” were liable according to the judgment.

The ruling said further that the items be sold to the highest bidders on the grounds of the Temple of Justice, where the properties were located on August 13, 2014.

The plaintiff was represented by Cllr. Cooper W. Kruah, while the defendants were represented by Atty. Sam Y. Cooper.

Prior to the auctioning of the properties, ICE was excited about the New Liberty Site and Plant construction with Aureus Mining (LON: AUR), to build the first commercially viable gold mine in Liberia.

According to a post on his official site, “ Ed Fisher, P.Eng., Co-Founder – COO. Mr. Fisher has been working and living in West Africa since 2006 where he constructed the Dogliotti School of Medicine, led the Program Management team for ECSEL to construct schools and learning centers. Throughout the country and was the senior construction manager for the Central Bank of Liberia (21M). Before coming to Liberia, Mr. Fisher was the Heavy and Civil Construction Manager at the Silver Spur Mine in Nevada (203M), the Senior Construction Manager for the Dalles, Oregon Spillway (180M) and the Senior Project Manager for the Superfund Site Cleanup in New Port, Oregon (160M)”.

SHADY PAST

Meanwhile, an independent investigation conducted by the Liberian Listener revealed that the International Construction and Engineering (I.C.E.) Boss Edward A. Fisher is no stranger to the law.

According to sources Mr. Fisher, a 46 year old American Citizen, has spent time in a Florida prison for construction related crimes.
Mr. Fisher has a history of entering into Construction Contracts, working for large companies and splitting with the funds. In April 2004, Mr. Fisher was charged by a Florida Court for Felony.

Court documents show Fisher fled from the law, when he discovered that officers were looking for him in theft related crimes.
Also, in October 2004, Fisher was captured in the State of California and extradited back to Florida to stand trial for two felony counts of Scheme to Defraud and Obtaining property by Fraud in excess of $50,000.00 US dollars.

In August of 2005 he was found guilty in a court of law, and was sentenced to 30 months in Florida’s Department of Corrections. A court ordered him to pay compensations in the amount $106,847.24 US dollars.

It is unclear what the current status of Fishers obligations are in regards to paying the funds he was previously ordered to restitute. In court documents obtained, there are correspondences with the Collier county court clerk’s office looking for Fisher as recently as January 2013

In Fisher’s 2008 release papers from State Prison he listed his residence address as Washington State, not Liberia where he currently resides.

Fisher and ICE entered into some type of contractual agreement with New Liberty Gold Mine, but it is unclear what the real relationship was. Several attempts were made to contact Mr. Fisher and he has not returned those calls.

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