Monrovia – The Liberian Senate on Thursday, April 14, 2016 mandated its committees on Judiciary, Concession and Investment to investigate concession agreements in Liberia that have reached the benchmark for review as required.
The Senate’s decision comes in the wake of a communication written by Senator Francis Paye of River Cess County.
In his communication, the River Cess County senator informed his colleagues that agreements entered into by logging companies in the county expired three years ago. He said the companies continue to operate in flagrant violation of concession and investment laws when their agreements have not been ratified.
Senator Paye said: “We consider the act as total defiance of the laws and cannot now and thereafter allow such illegal operations to continue without appropriate legal steps followed”.
The lawmaker added: “Whilst we stand ready to provide a list of logging companies involved into the illegal operations, preferring however to do so through requisite procedures laid down in our functions.
We shall, meantime, appreciate, Mr. President Pro-Tempore of the Senate and Colleagues, were you to kindly invite the Managing Director of the Forestry Development Authority (FDA) to provide all accountable information relative to such illegal operations of logging companies in River Cess County.”
Locals of the County in past months have expressed anger over the delays in the renewal of social agreements between the community and two logging companies operating in the county and threatened to halt the hauling of logs from the county by the two companies – MENDRA LTTC and the EJ&J Investment Group, the two main logging companies in the county.
Locals have also accused the companies for continual logging activities despite the expiration of the social agreement which legally ensures logging companies perform several corporate social responsibilities for the communities they operate. Sources claimed that the companies have only been transporting logs that were stockpiled.
Ahead of the pending sit-down with the companies, the communities are concerned about the transporting of logs and the delays in holding the community meetings. The Chairman of Rivercess County Civil Society Council, George J. Trokon, says it is urgent and expedient for the companies to hold these discussions with the communities to avoid confusion.
“The community is saying that the five years agreement was not implemented by the company because previous contracts was vague and did not provide any legal bond for these companies to give back to the communities for the reason that the company has a way of faking the people,” Trokon told FPA.