Monrovia – Amos T. Goba and Cooper Leamah have filed a lawsuit against Edwin Harris, the former Director General of the Financial Intelligence Unit, now the Financial Intelligence Agency, along with two others persons – T. Emmanuel Gee, then Director of Administration and Groba Leo Williams, an employee of the agency.
By Gerald C. Koinyeneh – [email protected]
The pair, in separate lawsuits, are seeking US$2.5 million damages for suffering, mental anguish, and serious embarrassment the action of the defendants has caused them, according to court documents in possession of FrontPage Africa.
How it all started
Goba and Leamah were dismissed on June 27, 2022 on four counts levied against them by Harris and Gee: conflict of interest, tipping off, receiving and deleting two STR from the secured STR filing system, and intent and gross insubordination.
Specifically, Goba was accused of using his connection to conduct illegal investigations and reporting to people outside of the agency; actions they said were intended to soil the image and character of reputable individuals in society. It also accused him of gross insubordination.
For Cooper Leamah, they said as head of analysis at the institution, and in his capacity, gave a tip off to a suspect under investigation for suspicious money transactions. This suspect, allegedly happens to be Leamah’s boss of ten years. His alleged action, the FIA stated, destroyed the evidence and rendered the investigation meaningless.
A statement sanctioned by the then Director General Harris, stated that the pair’s alleged actions were in violation of section 67.13 of the FIU Act of 2012 and section 6.7.6 of the Human Resources Hand Book of the FIU, the Code of Conduct and Statement of Confidentiality. It added that the dismissed staff will be forwarded to the Ministry of Justice for prosecution.
FIA failed to prosecute
Goba and Leamah challenged the allegations, saying they were false and intended to derail their hard-earned characters. They said prior to their “unlawful dismissal”, they had not been warned as a result of any unlawful conduct, nor had they been cited to any disciplinary proceedings/action. They called on the FIA to accord them due process, but it did not. FrontPage Africa has gathered that Harris and his team submitted a case file to the Ministry of Justice, but did not pursue the case. The Ministry of Justice submitted the case file back to the FIA without an opinion.
A communication from the Ministry of justice through Cllr. Nyeneti Tuan, then Deputy Minister of Codification/ and Acting Solicitor General to Stanley Ford, who is the current Director General said the ministry took the decision due to the FIA’s failure to present available minutes of the investigation it conducted before dismissing the pair, duty manual among others to afford the Minister of Justice the opportunity to make an informed decision concerning the case despite repeated demands.
“Predicated upon the foregoing, we are urging your institution to take the appropriate administrative decision since indeed and in truth the review was not possible because of your noncompliance” the Ministry of Justice said in the letter.
The pair also complained the FIA to the Ministry of Labor, citing wrongful dismissal. The Ministry, in a ruling said the FIA did not implement a fair internal procedure before dismissing Goba and Leamah. The Ministry said the FIA’s action was in violation of the section 14.4(b) of the decent Work Act, and the right to due process as enshrined in the Liberian Constitution.
“Consequently, per section 8.4 of the Decent Work Act, you are requested to remedy the contravention on or before February 12, 2023. Failure to do so will leave the Ministry with no alternative but to enforce the compliance with the notice,” the Ministry of Labor warned in a communication to the FIA administration.
In the communication dated February 1, the Ministry of Labor said before any employer can make a final decision on whether to terminate an employee’s employment, a fair internal procedure must be followed. The internal procedure is not limited to collecting individual statements, it added.
It furthered: “The accused should face his accuser, and the recommendation to terminate should be per the disciplinary sanctions as enshrined in the employer’s handbook available to all employees within your institution. Anything short of the above mentioned presents administrative lapses or a personal motive which is urged to be corrected.”
The FIA, under the management of Director General Ford, reinstated Goba and Leamah.
“On behalf of the Financial Intelligence Agency, we are pleased to reinstate you to the position of Manager of National Risk and Outreach. At this time your compensation package will remain constant until further review of the budget and financial standing of the FIA,” the FIA said in a letter issued to Leamah on February 1, 2023.
Seeking damages
Although Goba and Leamah are back to work, they said they have not recovered from the trauma caused by Harris and co-defendants’ actions.
They have filed separate lawsuits against them. According to court records, three armed ERU officers – Chief Superintendent Charles K. Cooper, Chief Inspector Tamba B. Saah and Chief Inspector Waldron K. Williams, accompanied by T. Emmanuel Gee, surprisingly walked into their offices on June 27, 2022 and served them their dismissal letters.
The letters, according to court records, were signed by Emmanuel Gee, and approved by Harris. The third defendant Williams, who is an employee of the FIA, published Goba and Leamah’s pictures on his Facebook page in which he referred to them as rogue employees. On the same date, their names were published on the FIA website and other online websites where they were accused of tipping off and illegally stealing classified information of the agency for personal gains.
“Plaintiff further says that actions of 1st, 2nd, and 3rd Defendants have caused serious injury to his reputation and embarrassment to his character and as a professional Financial Crime Investigator to the extent he is unable to move around freely, do business, and engage professionally with his peers around the world because everywhere he went, especially among his friends and professional colleagues, he is asked relative to his dismissal at the Financial Intelligence Unit (FIU),” the writ filed by Leamah said.
It further: “No matter how much explanation he gave, people still doubted him saving that he stole classified documents from the Financial Intelligence Unit (PIU) for his personal gains and only trying to give frivolous excuses or lie on the herein named Defendants. The recent denial of his wife. Mrs. Florence Zor Leamah from getting a prominent job with an international NGO due to a background check on her last name brought up the stories published by the 1st, 2nd, and 3rd defendants that broke him down and rendered life meaningless without justice.
“WHEREFORE AND IN VIEW OF THE FOREGOING laws, facts and circumstances facts and circumstances, Plaintiff pray this Honorable Court to hold defendants liable to plaintiff and caused the said Defendants to pay Plaintiff the amount of US$1.500.000.00 (ONE MILLION FIVE HUNDRED THOUSAND UNITED STATES DOLLARS) as General Damages for the suffering, mental anguish, serious embarrassment 1st, 2nd, and 3rd Defendants’ action has caused plaintiff and to also award Plaintiff Punitive Damages in an amount to be determined by this Honorable Court punish defendants herein named for their wrongful acts committed against plaintiff any other such relief as your honor may deem just, legal and equitable.”
For Goba, he filed his lawsuit on June 27, 2023, seeking US$1 million in damages. After his reinstatement, he retained his position as analysis officer.