After a week of struggling to develop an undertaking that will satisfy the Proprietor of SKM, Jaffer Zehgir, the legal team of Leonoil finally, on Friday evening, served their undertaking to the lawyer of Jaffer, J.J. Campbell, thereby paving the way for the lifting of the injunction slammed by the High Court against the company,. According to the undertaking, Leonoil has agreed to pay back the cost of the consignment of fuel paid for by the Plaintiff, as well as damages and cost incurred if Jaffer eventually emerges victorious in the said matter.
It could be recalled that Leonoil, a company dealing with petroleum products, is involved in a transaction with Jaffer, a petroleum dealer, who is said to have paid for an assorted consignment of petroleum products to the tune of over Le 1 billion and was given receipt for the said consignment to be collected later. This transaction, according to the Summons before the High Court, was made before the new price increase. Unfortunately, Jaffer was unable to collect his consignment due to the inter-district restrictions imposed by the government before the price increase, to curtail the spread of COVID-19, which was, at the time, affecting communities across the country, with more cases recorded on a daily basis. This inter-district lockdown saw the closure of entry points into Freetown until further notice. Even essential commodities had to get passes for transportation into the capital, as well as a COVID-19 Test.
It was while Jaffer was in the process of advocating for passes for the vehicles to transport his goods from Freetown to his station in Kenema that the new price increase was introduced, this again, is according to the summons before the Court. As deliberations on the matter commenced, the High Court, presided over by Justice S. Taylor, slammed an injunction on the operations of Leonoil until the completion of the matter before the Court.
However on Friday 12th March 2021, moves were being made by the Lawyers of the Leonoil Company to vacate the Court injunction. It was disclosed that Jaffer had also put forward conditions that the company should meet before he will agree to the said vacation. As we go to press, the said injunction had not been vacated, and according to the lawyer of the Plaintiff (Jaffer), he has not been served any such vacation order from the Court in respect of the said injunction.