MONROVIA – Several employees of the Liberia Water & Sewer Corporation have informed FrontPageAfrica the entity has been deducting monies intended for the payment of social security but has not been remitting said monies to NASSCORP.
Many of the employees have complained that NASSCORP does not have any record on LWSC employees paying social security taxes.
“The money is deducted from our salary but it is not being reflected; apparently LWSC is not submitting our money to NASSCORP, so where is our pension money being collected or deducted from our salaries?” an employed asked rhetorically.
Mr. Dan Saryeh, former Deputy Managing Director at the LWSC is among the many employees accusing the entity of siphoning their pension money.
Saryeh who resigned from the LWSC due to policy difference months ago has also complained to the civil law court requesting the court to intervene and investigate the LWSC for deducting money from his salary for social security benefit but said money was not submitted to NASSCORP by the LWSC.
Saryeh worked for the LWSC for about 19 months as Deputy Managing Director for Technical Services from 2018 to 2019.
He informed the court through a complaint that during the period of the 19 months, the LWSC deducted 4.5% of his salary for social security benefits.
According to the court documents obtained by FrontPageAfrica, Saryeh complained that after his resignation from the employ of the entity, he requested the LWSC about the status of his social security remittances but the LWSC refused to provide the information.
“Plaintiff began to feel embarrass, stressful and uncomfortable because he could not justify the deduction on his salary to his family,” his complaint to the Civil Law Court indicated.
Upon the alleged refusal of the LWSC to provide information on the deduction of his salary for social security taxes, he immediately wrote NASSCORP to find out whether or not there was any remittance from LWSC as his social security benefits, but NASSCORP replied in the negative.
NASSCORP response notes under the signature of the Head of payroll, Sofaphine T. Wollo, said there is no payment from LWSC to NASSCORP for any Dan Saryeh.
“Good day Mr. Saryeh; we acknowledge your communication of June 8, 2020, however we do not have payroll on file for the period in question made for this period,” Sofaphine T. Wollo of NASSCORP wrote.
Saryeh expressed disappointment through his complaint that legitimate expectation to have a secured financial and proper health care for he and his family after public service in the employ of the LWSC, where deduction was made from his salary for that purpose has been ruined by LWSC’s neglect and refusal to make the deposit to NASSACORP.
He said the conduct of the LWSC by deduction of money from his salary to guarantee his security and property rights, where the LWSC refused, neglected, and criminally converted money collected from salary to its personal use, has created emotional distress, mental anguish, and sleepless nights for he and his family, pain and suffering.
The former LWSC employee has join forces with other employees currently in the employ of the LWSC to prevail on the management of the entity to either refund their money deducted or the money be deposited in NASSCORP’s account for its intended purpose.
He is demanding that the LWSC refund the amount of ten thousand Dollars United States Dollars (US$10,000.00) deducted from his salary during his nineteen (19) months stay at the entity.
He is also demanding that the LWSC pays US$350,000 for the emotional distress, mental anguish, and sleepless nights it subjected he and his family.
He pleaded to the court to charge the LWSC US$170,000 as punitive damages, to serve as a deterrence not only to the LWSC but to other corporations that perpetuate similar acts against employees within their employ in Liberia.
But the Managing Director of the LWSC, Duannah Kamara denied all of the allegations leveled against him and the entity, describing the assertions as false and misleading.
“No Minister or head of agency can do this. Payrolls are direct transfer to employee’s accounts,” he responded to FPA WhatsApp message on the allegations.
Many of the employees said they have confronted Kamara on the issue of their salary cut but, according them, Kamara’s alleged connection with the Chief of Protocol of Liberia, Finda Bondoo has made him stubborn.
“Nothing will come out of this because this guy is always boasting that he’s connected to the presidency and that he will do whatever that pleases Finda,” an employee said.