Author: Rodney Sieh

Monrovia – Board resolution minutes of the National Oil Company of Liberia dated April 27, 2013 obtained by FrontPageAfrica suggest that former President Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf gave the approval for the payment of US$500,000 in bonuses to senior and junior executive members of the oil company involved in the controversial Production Sharing Contract negotiations for Liberia’s offshore Block LB-13 with the petroleum giant, ExxonMobil.

MONROVIA – A Liberia legislative joint committee will this week begin scrutinizing two key pieces of financial documents submitted by President George Manneh Weah. The first, a US$536 Million Loan agreement between the Government of Liberia and the Eton Finance PTE Ltd. The second, a separate Pre-Financing Loan Agreement in the tone of US$426 Million entered into between the Government of Liberia and Group EBOMAF.

Report by Rodney D. Sieh, [email protected] Monrovia – The George Weah-led government risks losing out on the lucrative United States government’s Millennium Challenge Corporation (MCC) award unless it improves its governance evaluations, FrontPageAfrica understands. Deterioration in the rule of law, corruption, transparency and accountability including the president’s failure to declare his assets and the obstruction of the functions of the Extractive Industry Transparency Initiative could hinder the country’s chances. The Millennium Challenge Corporation (MCC) is an independent US Government Agency, which   was established in 2004 as a way of devising an innovative approach to support poverty reduction in developing countries…

Monrovia – A FrontPageAfrica investigation has identified the mystery wealthy Burkinabè businessman friend of President George Manneh Weah but the revelation has been eclipsed by a damning report that businessman Mahamadou Bonkoungou is currently embroiled in a nasty legal wrangle with the former Prime Minister of Benin, Lionel Zinsou, whom Mr. Bonkoungou has accused of refusing to repay him money loaned Zinsou for his failed 2016 Presidential bid in Benin.

Monrovia – Long before her admission on the Truth Breakfast Show this week, relating to a number of foreign travels without President George Manneh Weah’s consent, murmurs surfaced about a growing rift between Vice President Jewel Howard Taylor and the President.

Monrovia – A recent terror alert from the British government urging its citizens to be vigilant in their travel to Liberia is raising concerns about security and possible rise of terror cells in the country.

Monrovia – In a communication making a plea for the swift passage of the controversial US$536 million loan being engineered by a makeshift Asian conglomerate, led by Eton Finance Private Limited, last week, Liberian President George Manneh Weah stated: “Honorable Pro-Tempore and members of the Senate, I trust that the Legislature will ratify this agreement, which seeks to provide employment, build infrastructure, strengthen our union, and drive our pro-poor agenda for the good of our Liberian people.”

IN A NEW YORK TIMES OP-ED Friday, Liberian President George Manneh Weah recalled how he witnessed hardship growing up as a child and the difficulties and horrors of the long-running civil war.

New York – Hours after the fatal murder of journalist Tyron A. Brown, Liberia’s Minister of Information, Cultural Affairs and Tourism Lenn Eugene Nagbe says the Weah-led government will leave no stone unturned in bringing the killers to justice.

LIBERIA HAS BEEN through so much in so long, leading to so many bad things: Coups, a civil war and Ebola are just a few of the many unnecessary distractions that have caused unnecessary setbacks in the country’s development.