Monrovia – Former National Housing Authority (NHA) Boss Duannah Siryon has testified in open court that President Weah did not receive US$400,000 from GELPAZ-IMMO or any purported representative of the firm as being alleged by state prosecutors in the ongoing NHA bribery case.
Defendant Siryon made the statement at the Criminal Court ‘C’ in Monrovia on Tuesday, October 29, when he took the witness stand.
“At no point in time did I say Augustine Weah received USD$400,000 on behalf of the president (President Weah) or US$100,000 for NHA. It was a message that I was reading and my exact word was ‘I received no US$80,000 from GELPAZ’,” Siryon said while being crossed examined by a state lawyer.
He refuted media reports that President Weah was knowledgeable of US$400,000 alleged bribe.
He said that the much-publicized recording in which it is alleged that he dished out money to President Weah and other government officials is “fake and misrepresentation” of the facts.
Siryon testified that the recording surfaced after he had a meeting with Augustine Weah about his trip to Burkina Faso where he allegedly solicited funding from the company (GELPAZ-IMMO) in the name of President Weah, NHA and other government officials.
“I have previously received a message from Baz (nickname of one of the company’s officials) from Burkina Faso that Augustine Weah was discussing or soliciting bribe, not knowing to Augustine Weah that I have been informed, (he) informing GELPAZ-IMMO that President Weah needs US$400,000, NHA officials need US$100,000, Minister of Justice needs US$20,000, Finance Minister needs US$20,000 and Minister of State needs US$20,000.
“So, I confronted him (Augustine Weah) by reading the messages from my phone, telling him why did you go to Burkina Faso to discuss those amounts when you were not authorized to do so. I was reading the text messages verbatim and also showing them to him.”
Defendants Duannah Siryon (Indicted Manager Director), Tugbeh C. Tugbeh (Deputy manager Director for Administration), Isaac Roberts (Deputy Director for Technical Services all of NHA), and Augustine Weah, a purported Chief Executive Officer of Guss Group of Companies, Emmanuel Tapsoba, GELPAZ-IMMO Coordinator in Liberia were arrested, investigative and charged with the crimes of Economic Sabotage, Bribery, Theft of Property, Misapplication of Entrusted Property, Criminal Conspiracy and Criminal Facilitation.
Following police investigation, the defendants were indicted by the grand jury of Montserrado County.
According to the indictment, a Burkina Faso-based company, GELPAZ-IMMO, through its Chief Executive Officer Alain Z. Zoungana, expressed interest into the growth and development of Liberia through a proposal to construct over 5,000 housing units along the Roberts International Airport.