Monrovia – The manager of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs’ project dubbed “IECI Human & Capacity Building Project” sponsored by the government of Japan, Augustine Nyenplu has been exposed by an audit conducted by the General Auditing Commission (GAC) for allegedly stealing L$20,195,625.00 from the project’s account at Afriland Bank.
“This despicable situation has now subjected the conservative solitude for which the Ministry of Foreign Affairs is known, into an arena of disrepute.” – Deputy Foreign Minister, Mr. B. Elias Shoniyin.
The US$$731,412.00 Project was approved on April 22, 2014 with an implementation plan of two years. The audit covered the period, June 2014 to October 28, 2015.
In the Auditor General’s Report on the Audit, the International Economic Cooperation and Integration (IECI) Department of the Ministry was responsible for the management of the IECI Project.
The primary purpose of the project was to build the institutional capacity of the department by buying equipment, paying for communication and to get a vehicle for the head of the department and train professional staff with the necessary skills to increase efficiency within it.
Last Friday, Feb. 17 in a public hearing on the Auditor General’s Report on the Audit of the IECI Human & Capacity Building Project of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Joint Public Account Committee of the Legislature, questioned three of the key witnesses, including Foreign Minister, Marjon V. Kamara, Mr. B. Elias Shoniyin, Deputy Foreign Minister and former Deputy Minister for IECI Department, and Mr. Thomas Kaydor, former Deputy Minister for IECI Department without the prime suspect Nyenplu who is reported to be in the United States.
The GAC report indicated that it was observed during the conduct of the audit that the IECI Project Management made payments for various transactions amounting to L$21,394,360.00 without adequate supporting documentation to substantiate the regularity of the transactions.
“The Management of the IECI Project should provide the necessary supporting documentation for the total of L$21,394,360.00 expended without supporting documentation,” the report recommended.
Payments without adequate supporting documentation could cast doubt on the regularity of the transactions and undermine public sector accountability and transparency,” the report indicated.
In response, Mr. Shoniyin said categorically that of the L$21,394,360 expenditure, the project manager/Accountant, Mr. AugustineNyanplue absconded with L$20,507,370, and is currently in the US.
He continued: “This despicable situation has now subjected the conservative solitude for which the Ministry of Foreign Affairs is known, into an arena of disrepute.”
He further added that the grant was made available to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs through his personal initiative and negotiation with the Government of Japan.
The Foreign Ministry official said in order to strengthen the integrity all Japanese projects under the Japanese Counterpart Value Fund, a monitoring and evaluation unit within the department was established.
He disclosed that while proceeding with initiatives in the department, in December 2014, he was preferred by President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf for the office of Principal Deputy Foreign Minister.
He told the lawmakers that Mr. Nyanplue as part of his responsibilities managed all accounting records and other administrative documentations during the execution of the project and should account for the L$20,507,370.
Deputy Minister Shoniyin indicated that Mr. Nyenplue succeeded in manipulating the project’s account signature card to ascribe to himself the sole authority to withdraw money without the knowledge of his bosses.
The report unearthed that the absconded Project Manager went on to alter the contact number of the prime signatory to the account in order to make it impossible for the bank to verify cheques.
Shoniyin narrated to the Public Account Committee of the Legislature that the Ministry did not know anything about this criminal act until cheques issued by him as head of the department at the time started to bounce because the account had been depleted.
“Prior to transitioning to my new office then, I wrote requesting the Internal Audit Agency through its Director assigned to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, to conduct audits on the financial statements of the project, following which I turned over the responsibility of the Department of Cooperation to Hon. Thomas Kaydor, who was appointed to keep the fort,” said Minister Shoniyin.
“During the period of transition, I wrote the Afriland First Bank’s Manager transferring signatory powers to Mr. Kaydor as signatory A, Wede Elliot Brownell, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs as signatory B, and Mr. Augustine Nyanplu, Project Manager as signatory C effectively.”
Recalling his past, he said his attention was drawn to an approved cheque of US$3,500 for a workshop in the Department of Protocol which bounced on the account; however, he was later told that Mr. Nyanplu took the check and returned with an amount far less than that specified amount approved.
“This of course created an air of suspicion. I called Mr. Nyanplu several to no avail, leading to a warning memo from me that same day as Acting Minister of Foreign Affairs requesting him to meet me with immediately”, Shoniyin furthered.
For her part, Foreign Minister Marjon V. Kamara noted that the Justice Ministry has been formally informed and is aware of the escape of Mr. Nyanplue.
She intoned that L$105,600.00 was authorized for media coverage and paid out to Mr. Horatio Bobby Willie but formal documents from media outlets are difficult to get, Mr. Willie had said.
She argued that the Japanese Grants was not for Human & Capacity Building because only L$50,000 was allotted to “capacity building” but Institutional Building, in so doing all the IEIC staffers benefitted increment in their “allowances.”
In conclusive statements, the three key witnesses said the project was a massive failure.
Members of the Joint Committee are expected to review the witnesses’ responses and make recommendation to the Executive for action.
