Monrovia – Public Corporations in Liberia established to help implement programs that will impact the lives of the Liberian people by raising revenue to beef up the financial position of government have long been a subject of political transactions.
Report by: Samwar S. Fallah, [email protected]
One public corporation-the National Social Security and Welfare Corporation continues to be a subject of political activities with the corporation using funding to finance political activities of the ruling Unity Party.
NASSCORP former Director General, Francis Carbah embarrassingly resigned after he was exposed for using NASSCORP as guarantor in favour of a contractor for the construction of a Unity Party building project in Buchanan, Grand Bassa County.
In previous audits of NASSCORP by the General Auditing Commission of Liberia, audit questioned several payments from NASSCORP to political activities mainly of the ruling Unity Party.
The opposition Congress for Democratic Change is alarming that NASSCORP is the chief financier of the pending Unity Party Convention expected to be held in Gbarnga, Bong County from June 7 to 9.
“Our intelligence has informed us that NASSCORP is funding the Unity Party Convention and we feel this is wrong, the ruling party has started using state funds for its political activities and National Elections Commission must step in”, said Jefferson Koijee, Chairman of the Youth League of the CDC.
Koijee says Vice President Boakai using his official vehicle on Unity Party activities is a violation of the Code of Conduct and Electoral Law which he says should be address early by the NEC.
“Elections are rigged on elections day, it is wrong, right now Brumskine is in Ganta, he is not using Government vehicles, Mill Jones is in Bomi, he is not suing government property, so Boakai must do the same, let him not use government property on his Unity Party campaign activities”, Koijee says.
Section 5.8 of the Code of Conduct provides “It is unlawful for any Civil Servant employed in any branch of the Government to use his official authority or influence for the purpose of interfering with an election or affecting the result thereof.
“No officer or employee in the Executive Branch of Government, or any agency or department thereof, shall take any active part in political management or in political campaigns. All such persons shall retain the right to vote as they may choose and to express their opinions on all political subjects”.
Koijee says officials of the Unity Party should be aware that they are not supposed to use official Government of Liberia vehicles and other assets for the pending convention.
David Q. Beekeh, Coordinator/Public Affairs at NASSCORP says the entity is not sponsoring the UP convention.
“Well, our reaction is the information is untrue NASSCOR is not sponsoring anybody”, says Beekeh.
He said NASSCORP as a public entity is aware of the law and cannot support any political institution.
“NASSCOR as a public entity is aware of the law of this country and we cannot support any political party. We are not supporting Boakai neither any political party as a public corporation, we are not to support any political party”, he added.
Wilmot Paye, Unity Party Secretary General who has declared that he will be contesting for the position of Chairmanship when contacted through calls and text messages failed to provide response.
The General Auditing Commission of Liberia in previous audits of public corporations including the Liberia Petroleum Refining Company, NASSCORP others stated that these public corporations have become cash-cow for the political establishment where money generate from these corporations are used for political purposes.
On September 10, 2012, Carbah resigned from NASSCORP for using the state corporation as guarantor for the private work of the Unity Party.
Said Carbah during his resignation “On September 10, 2012, I tendered my resignation, pursuant to an error of judgment on my part, as Director General of the National Social Security & Welfare Corporation (NASSCORP).
For this, I assume full responsibility for my mistake, and the appointing authority, the President of Liberia on September 18, 2012 accepted my decision to resign.”
Former Director General Carbah stated further that the reason for his resignation is that he provided, “a bank guarantee in favour of a contractor of a Unity Party building project in Buchanan which created a situation of conflict of interest.”
In a related development, Koijee has commended the United States government for recent reports that agents of the federal Bureau of Investigation will help with ongoing probe into the Global Witness report alleging bribery by Sable Mining to some former and current Liberian government officials.