MONROVIA – FrontPageAfrica has in its possession a number of documents that allege that the Director General and others at the Central Agriculture Research Institute (CARI) in Suakoko, Bong County, have been involved with administrative malpractices. For these reasons they were fined specific amounts by the institute’s board of directors, to be paid into government’s coffer.
However, when the DG, Dr. Marcus T. Jones, responded to this newspaper, he denied all the allegations; adding that they were all fabricated to tarnish his reputation.
Dr. Jones further stated: “Look, my brother, I don’t wish to speak on those issues, further.”
Included in the reports against the CARI boss and the entity’s finance lady, Ms. Kiziah Morris, she had come to Monrovia and signed, unbeknownst to the warehouse supervisor, for some agricultural items in July 2018 and those materials, which are valued at US$65,000, were never delivered to CARI. This led to eyebrows rising and some unanswered questions when a team from the Ministry of Finance and Development Planning (MFDP) had gone to make follow up in September on whether the materials had been delivered as they had been allegedly told by Ms. Morris and Dr. Jones.
“When the Finance team came and checked two months after the things were purchased and supposedly delivered to CARI, they didn’t see a single item of all or any of the things that the DG and Ms. Kiziah Morris had told them that they (items) were already in the warehouse,” a source very close to CARI’s management team told FPA.
Ms. Morris had signed for six items, which were listed on the waybill, including 300 bags of NPK (a fertilizer), agric chemicals, etc.
A September 28, 2018 email from David P. Tokpa, a scientist, addressed to Dr. Jones and 36 others, following the inspection from the MFDP team, shows that the items were never in the warehouse.
Dear Scientists et al:
It is often said at CARI Scientists are doing nothing! Agricultural
supplies taking two + months from Monrovia to Suakoko, did the vehicle
break down or CARI warehouse is in Monrovia? Who authorized Miss
Kiziah to sign delivery note in the absence of the warehouse
supervisor?
How in this world, Sis Kiziah will sign a delivery note in Monrovia
when the goods are not deliver and yet MANAGEMENT expects Scientists
to spend their own money while supplies allocated for CARI vanish.
Please reference documents attached to this mail as we research and
hypothesize the result.
Tokpah confirmed sending this email to everyone when FPA contacted him. He added: “Dr. Jones got so angry with me for sending this email. He called me to his office and blasted me when it was time for me to talk he refused for me to speak. He even called his security to throw me out of his office. Other colleagues had to come and calm me down before I left his office.”
This newspaper later learned that another fact-finding team, this time from CARI’s board of directors, went, too, to find out for themselves.
According to sources, at least five of the items had been delivered excluding one, which is the urea, another type of fertilizer for vegetable plants. The items had a delivery note promising that by the 24th of October, the 150 bags of urea would have been delivered and up to press time, they are yet to be delivered. Mr. Benedict Simpson, a member of the board, confirmed that they had gone into check and during their inspection, they saw all but one of the items not in the warehouse. Simpson, however, refused to speak to the fine but asked us to direct our fine inquiry to the head of the board.
However, the head of CARI categorically told FPA via mobile phone Tuesday, November 27, that all the items have been delivered and were stored in the warehouse.
Despite members of the board of directors seeing some of the items, they still fined DG Jones US$2000, Ms. Morris US$500 and Mr. David Kemu, who is the ware supervisor US$200 to be paid into the government of Liberia’s coffer. The fines were as a result of things unbecoming of their individual deportment as it regards the handling of the materials.
Even though he denied all the allegations levied against him, Kemu, too, whose name is mentioned to have been involved with this administrative malpractice, confirmed that he was fined along with his DG and Ms. Morris.
According to him, his letter from the board stated that he had been fined “for dishonestly receiving agriculture supply.” However, he added that since he didn’t do anything wrong, the fine has not taken effect.
He also confirmed that it was after the MFDP team had come to verify in September before five of the items were delivered and the urea is yet to be made available to CARI.
Ms. Morris couldn’t be reached for comments as the GSM service provider kept saying her phone is switched off.