Monrovia – Following the suspension of all members of the Board of the Liberia Telecommunications Authority, armed officers from the Liberia National Police stormed the LTA headquarters, demanding to search the vehicles and bags of employees before leaving the premises.
FrontPageAfrica learned that the armed officers were acting under the instruction of Police Unit 105, reportedly acting on a tip-off alleging that LTA employees were removing assets and documents belonging to the Authority.
Without a search warrant, the police stopped a woman identified by FrontPageAfrica as Mrs. Louise Chea, the special assistant to the suspended Chairperson of the LTA.
Mrs. Chea raised concerns over why she was being surrounded by armed officers without a warrant. Initially, she insisted that her vehicle would not be searched without proper authorization. After nearly an hour of negotiation, she allowed the search of her vehicle to proceed.
“They came intimidating me with their weapons. I have my minor in the car and they came with their weapons saying they want to search my car. I asked them for the communication that permits them to search my car but they can’t show me any,” she said.
During the search, the police found two laptops in her car. One, she claimed, belonged to her husband, while the other was her assigned laptop. Mrs. Chea refused to allow the police to take custody of the laptop they intended to transport to Zone 3 Depot. Her refusal led to a standoff with the police until the arrival of Cllr. Phil Tarpeh Dixon, who identified himself as the general counsel for the LTA.
Cllr. Dixon negotiated an agreement with the police, stating that the laptop could not be taken to the depot since it was not part of a theft case and contains sensitive client and institutional information that are confidential. Therefore, it was decided that the laptop would remain in the office.
Cllr. Dixon informed the police that it was an infringement of her privacy for her vehicle or private property to be searched without any warrant from the court. However, he advised her to allow them carry out the search since it was a special situation.
FrontPageAfrica gathered that the armed police men would remain at the facility until Monday.
Earlier today, the President Joseph Nyuma Boakai, Sr., suspended Madam Edwina C. Zackpah, Mr. Israel Akinsanya, Mr. Zotawon D. Titus, Mr. James Gbarwea, and Mr. Osborne K. Diggs, Chairperson and Commissioners, respectively, of the Liberia Telecommunication Authority. The suspension was due to allegations of questionable financial transactions and other malpractices at the Authority.
The President requested a comprehensive audit of the LTA by the General Auditing Commission (GAC) to investigate the allegations at the Authority. He urged the suspended officials to fully cooperate with the GAC during the investigation.
Their suspension came barely two days after the Supreme Court ruled that it was illegal for the President to have made new nominations to tenure positions while the current occupants’ tenure was still active.
The LTA is a critical institution responsible for regulating the telecommunications sector in the country, and it should uphold high standards of integrity and accountability in carrying out its mandate.
