Dear Editor,
I read your article which quoted Cllr. Brumskine as saying that a Senator was expelled under his watch as President Pro-Tempore for misappropriation of Senate funds.
That assertion is absolutely wrong.
Brumskine was Pro Tempore of the Senate from August 1997 to March 1999. During this period, one Senator in person of Sampson Bedell Fahn, II, of Margibi County was expelled by the Senate for “Bringing Armed Men into Senate and breaking into an office on the 2nd floor of the Senate’s wing; insulting all Senators and by those actions, the Senate termed his behavior as “desecrating the sanctity of the Liberian Senate”.
For this, he was expelled on October 23, 1998. He was not expelled for corruption as evidenced by the documents attached.
Senator Fahn was removed as Chairman on Ways, Means, Finance and Maritime Affairs while he was on a seminar at Harvard University Kennedy School of Governance on Legislative drafting because he refused to sign and approve checks to allow Senator Evelyn Townsend of Montserrado, a closed supporter of Brumskine who was to attend the ACP EU Parliamentary Conference in Brussels.
Fahn said there was no budget to cover such travel and he will not use any other budget lines to borrow money to cover the Senator’s travel expenses.
This irritated Brumskine and he manuevered the removal of Fahn as Chairman of the Committee and replaced him with Bomi Senator Mohammed Dukuly.
Cllr. Brumskine ordered all Fahn staff including one David Wiles, now working with the Liberia Revenue Authority, to allow Senator Dukuly to occupy the office.
This was a total disrespect to a colleague Senator. He should have waited for the return of Fahn.
When Fahn returned, he angirly brought in AFL soldiers to burst into his original office.
He described Brumskine in a harsh description along with all his colleagues Senators.
He did not stop there; he went on ELBC radio in a live broadcast and insulted all Senators with the worst profanities.
The Senate felt degraded by Senator Fahn’s action and ordered him to appear before the Judiciary Committee headed by Bong County Senator Francis Garlawolo.
Sen. Fahn refused to honor the citation and went wild against his collagues.
He went again on the grounds of the Capitol Building and insulted all Senators from Office to Office before their own staffers.
The Secretary to the Garlawolo’s committee is now the Secretary of the Liberian Senate.
The Senate, based on those actions, expelled Sen. Fahn. He was not and never expelled for corruption.
I challenge Cllr Brumskine to produce any verifiable document that an audit was conducted which pointed to Sen. Fahn “misappropriating the people’s money” as he Brumskine claimed.
Please see attached the reasons for which Senator Bedel Fahn was investigated and eventually expelled.
Mohammed Ali, Contributing Writer
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