Monrovia – The Liberia Revenue Authority (LRA) in collaboration with the Liberia National Police (LNP) has unearthed a criminal syndicate organized to divert government’s revenue to personal purposes.
FrontPageAfrica first reported the scheme last Thursday.
These manager’s checks destined for the government’s consolidated account were deposited in an account with Access Bank, and some were reportedly cleared. The ‘criminal’ account currently containing about US$400,000 has been frozen.
– The Liberia Revenue Authority
In a statement Sunday, the LRA says it has identified one of its staff Lee N.V. Taylor as one of the members of the syndicate. Mr. Taylor fled Liberia after the criminal act was discovered and has since been arrested in Ghana and extradited to Liberia. He is in police custody helping with the investigation.
Preliminary investigation indicates that Taylor and his accomplices established an account at Access Bank Liberia Ltd and deposited several manager’s checks issued by the United Bank of Africa (UBA).
These manager’s checks destined for the government’s consolidated account were deposited in an account with Access Bank, and some were reportedly cleared. The ‘criminal’ account currently containing about US$400,000 has been frozen.
The fees at the center of this investigation were government’s percentage of cellular mobile transactions deposited with UBA.
The LRA is concerned about the role of its staff in this criminal syndicate, and also the ease with which banking controls were navigated to divert public resources.
The LRA meanwhile wants to applaud the LNP for its collaboration and speediness in working with their Ghanaian counterparts to have suspect Lee Taylor arrested.
The LRA wants to assure the public that it remains committed to the collection of lawful revenue and will collaborate and do all within its powers to bring the perpetrators to justice.