Monrovia – Two individuals, Smith George and Friday Nyoun, were arrested and brought before the Monrovia City Court at the Temple of Justice for their involvement in a forgery and impersonation scheme targeting the Liberia National Police (LNP).
By Jackie Dennis, contributing writer
The two men stand accused of impersonating LNP officers and forging the signature of Police Inspector General Gregory Coleman, resulting in charges of economic sabotage, impersonation, forgery, criminal conspiracy, and criminal facilitation.
The arrests followed an investigation initiated after a complaint from Richmond Emmanuel Jallah, the Controller of the National Oil Company of Liberia (NOCAL). On February 5, Mr. Jallah had tasked his assistant, Emmanuel Buegar, with securing a police clearance certificate at LNP Headquarters for an upcoming international trip. However, what seemed like a routine task turned into a fraudulent scheme that would soon come to light.
According to Mr. Buegar’s account, he arrived at LNP Headquarters to process the necessary clearance but met defendant Friday Nyoun instead of an official LNP officer.
Nyoun allegedly quoted a fee of $45.00 USD to expedite the clearance, which Buegar paid. Nyoun then took the payment and reportedly left the LNP headquarters to meet with his co-conspirator, Smith George, at the World Trade Center on Gurley Street.
There, the two prepared the forged police clearance, using George’s laptop, which he typically used to produce fraudulent documents, including fake birth certificates and national identification cards.
The forged clearance document, bearing the signature of Inspector General Coleman and the official LNP stamp, was later picked up by Buegar in the evening, believing it to be legitimate. However, upon inspection, LNP authorities identified the forgery, prompting an investigation into the matter.
The issue was brought to the attention of the Office of the Inspector General, where officials confirmed the authenticity of the clearance as being compromised. “The use of a forged signature is a blatant and intolerable breach,” stated a communication from the LNP’s Office of the Inspector General. “This undermines the integrity of the Liberia National Police and severely damages public trust in the institution.”
Witnesses testified that Richmond Jallah had initially sought the clearance for his application to work in the United States.
His assistant, Emmanuel Buegar, confirmed the events leading up to the fraudulent issuance of the clearance. Jallah himself later told investigators that he was unaware of the forgery and believed the clearance to be valid until the LNP flagged the issue.
In separate police interrogations, defendants George and Nyoun confessed to their roles in the conspiracy. George admitted that on February 12, 2025, Nyoun came to him with a request to prepare another police clearance, this time for a man named Martin Harris, who intended to travel to Hungary. They agreed on a fee, and George prepared the fraudulent document, which was later exchanged at Exodus Entertainment Club before both men were arrested.
Nyoun further revealed during his interrogation that he was contacted by a friend to help prepare the police clearance.
He claimed that because the person needed the clearance urgently for a same-day travel arrangement, he sought George’s help at the World Trade Center. The two then produced the forged clearance document in question.
Further investigation confirmed that both George and Nyoun were not employees of the Liberia National Police, and neither had any official capacity within the LNP. The police investigation also uncovered that both individuals had a history of involvement in similar fraudulent activities, raising concerns about the extent of their operations.
As the investigation continues, both George and Nyoun are facing severe charges, and the Liberia National Police is taking steps to safeguard the integrity of its procedures to prevent future instances of similar crimes. The outcome of this case will likely send a strong message about the consequences of engaging in fraudulent activities that compromise national security and public trust.
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