Ottawa, Canada-As the transitional from the President George Weah regime to the Joseph Boakai regime steadily comes closer, a Liberian based in Canada Stanley Delano Quaye is calling on the incoming President to prosecute all government officials from the administration of former President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf to the government of President Weah.
By J.H. Webster Clayeh (0886729972)[email protected]
Quaye, a Writer, Economist, and Human Rights Activist speaking to FrontPage Africa said it would not be a good idea should the President-elect be selective in prosecuting individuals who have been alleged for corruption while serving in public office.
According to Quaye, as President-elect Boakai is setting to kick-start the fight against corruption, the former Finance Minister Konneh and all officials that served in the previous government including the Weah-led administration need to be audited and if found corrupt be prosecuted.
He added that Konneh who is now Senator-elect served as the Minister of Finance for Liberia from 2012 to 2016. Before that, Konneh served as Minister of Planning for Economic Affairs. During his tenure in government, he was involved in allegations of tribalism, nepotism, corruption, and mismanagement of public funds, Quaye says.
Quaye furthers that in 2023, President-elect Boakai promised to prosecute corrupt officials adding that it was against this backdrop that he and other Liberians both home and abroad supported his presidential bid.
“The President must fulfill his promise. All corrupt officials, regardless of political affiliation must be prosecuted without fear or favor. There are mounting concerns of looming favoritism as Amara Konneh and other past corrupt officials are seen bamboozling their way through President-elect Boakai’s inner circle. Konneh has projected himself as a saint wearing a pure garment when, in fact, he stands accused of massive corruption,” Quaye said.
Quaye stressed that while it is crucial to address the issue of corruption and hold individuals accountable, it is equally important to remember the principles of fairness.
“We would like to remind President-elect Boakai that an attempt to prosecute only CDC officials and leave out Amara Konneh and others from the Unity Party, will serve as a source of disunity and tension in our society. Let justice be done to all mankind. There is no sacred cow when it comes to the dispensation of justice. Amara Konneh and other officials facing allegations of corruption must be made to account for their sudden unexplained wealth,” he said.
“It is important to note that these allegations were made by the General Auditing Commission (GAC), Liberia Anti-Corruption Commission, and the general Liberian public. In 2019, Amara Konneh was listed as a ‘person of interest’ by the Asset Investigative, Restitution and Recovery Team, a body constituted by outgoing President Weah to recover stolen government assets,” Quaye said.
He added: “Various audit reports and investigations have suggested that Konneh, along with other officials, engaged in corrupt practices. For instance, there were allegations of embezzlement of 13M given by the European Union to the Government of Liberia and misappropriation of other funds meant for development projects. These projects were intended to improve the country’s infrastructure, healthcare, and education systems.”
Quaye also disclosed that Konneh accumulated huge unexplained wealth during his time as Minister of Finance.
“For example, Senator-elect Konneh financed a farm in Garboplu County, Liberia worth USD7M, bought a USD 3M property in West Grove, PA., allegedly holds a share of over USD 2M in International Bank (Liberia Limited), and 5M investment in Qatar Oil and Gas Company,” he said.
Quaye furthers: “The salary of a finance minister in Liberia by all accounts is unable to pay for the above listed fortunate accrued by Amara Konneh. Evidence, including hiring records at the Ministry of Finance, suggests that Amara abused his office in many ways, under his stewardship as Minister of Finance for Development Planning, the ministry became embroiled in tribalism. Employment and other opportunities were made available mostly to members of his ethnic group.”
Quaye also urged the President-elect of Liberia to have Finance Minister Tweah and other outgoing officials who were sanctioned by the U.S Treasury Department for corruption and human rights abuses face the full weight of the law.
According to him, Minister Tweah received bribes from various mining companies including AML, MNG Gol,d and others. After the Liberian Legislature refused to pass the amended AML agreement, Tweah unilaterally included a suspicious $37 million payment from High Power Exploration (HPX) in the 2022 proposed recast budget in violation of section 88.1 of the Amended and Restated Procurement and Concession Act.
“Tweah has tried to justify the payment as a signing fee for a controversial framework agreement with HPX, despite the absence of a government agreement with the company. There are too many unanswered questions concerning Tweah’s HPX transactions. Outside of the mining sector, Tweah has been involved in numerous corruptions some of which was witnessed directly by me,” Quaye said.
He added: “For example, while serving at the Central Bank of Liberia, we recommended that USD25M should be injected into the economy to stabilize the exchange rate. The exercise became known as the famous mop-up framework. Tweah again embezzled that amount and targeted a whistle-blower at the Central Bank of Liberia. Some of our colleagues became victims of Tweah’s witch-hunt campaign at the Central Bank of Liberia and the Ministry of Finance.”
“Corruption in any government can hinder development and social progress, diverting essential resources away from those who need them the most. It compromises the welfare and well-being of citizens and undermines their trust in the government. International organizations and friendly nations such as the U.S are assisting the Liberian government to address corruption by providing support, monitoring, and technical expertise,” he added.