Steal from Steal Makes God Laugh – The Saga of Charles Sirleaf

The Editor,

Misprint, Misprint, it can’t be true?? Rodney Sieh and FPA, are you sure? I beg to differ. Or, call it “steal from steal makes God laugh.” Or, a case of John’s palm oil waste on John’s rice. Or, the kukujumuku and the merry go round. Now you know how don’t-give-a-darn regime is run. Wipe your tears and tell Gbekugbeh thank you that his hired killers of former rebel generals did not “Harry-Greaves” you or “Matthew-Innis” you….because of your mom.

When things begin to fall apart in Liberia in the current Pro-Poor CDC regime, anything goes and the poor are justified to steal from the rich because the rich got their money stealing from the poor. That is the dog-eat-dog world of corrupt governments. 

And as if you don’t know already the outcome of the police investigation? They are going to protect the big cats and throw some poor guys under the bus.  

But the million-dollar question is HOW did Charles Sirleaf accumulate such money in a poor country like Liberia? Remember Charles and senior members of the Central Bank as well as Board members gave themselves “car loans of $300,000.00 each” just as the CDC government was preparing to take over? DID they repay the car loans? Don’t wake up sleeping dogs.

But the million-dollar question is HOW did Charles Sirleaf accumulate such money in a poor country like Liberia? Remember Charles and senior members of the Central Bank as well as Board members gave themselves “car loans of $300,000.00 each” just as the CDC government was preparing to take over? DID they repay the car loans? Don’t wake up sleeping dogs.

You know what? Let me take a pause and rethink how to approach this story. But I still think my friend Rodney Sieh has to be joking. No wonder they are not calling his headline “fake news.” That means there is some truth to Charles’ cry that hidden hands “stole his or our US$700,000.00 and Liberian LD10 million” he was holding for the poor.

Foreign “investors” you just got your other warning not to put your money in any Liberian bank, notorious for money laundering and outright theft. Nine western embassies in Monrovia had their millions$ taken without their prior consent in what the government said was “we dig one hole to cover another hole.” All nine ambassadors published an Open Letter to the Liberian government demanding their money be returned. One of the frustrated countries, Germany said it has had enough, packed up and waved goodbye to the Pro-Poor CDC regime.

And I bet Charles’ mom and former Iron Lady and president, Ellen Johnson Sirleaf must be mad as hell and is breathing fire that George Weah who she “made president” and who promised to “protect Ellen and the Sirleaf Clan” has just crossed the Red Line. Just think of what she did to your predecessors Samuel Doe and Charles. Ellen can make and break presidents.

Back to the monetary policy of “we dig one hole to cover another hole in order to pay salaries of our civil servants,” said then Len Eugene Nagbe, the regime’s mouthpiece, even if the money is not fir the government? Charles, just forget and let it go. Mom has tons of money.

The same Minister of Information and Propaganda Len Eugene Nagbe who justified the stealing of money belonging to nine foreign embassies from the Central Bank is again talking about police investigation of Charles’ complaint. Why won’t Nagbe let the Justice Minister or the Police Public Relations department do the talking?

But Charles needs to be thankful that Team Weah just dropped the money laundering, theft and economic sabotage charges against him perhaps as a tradeoff for his alleged “stolen” money. Mom Ellen, brother Robert and auntie Jenny all still have enough money hundred times more than the peanuts Charles is crying about. Leave a little something for the Pro-Poor government. At least, you are out of jail.

Why do you think he let you out of jail after masterminding the printing of the missing LD$16 billion? You are lucky he did you the favor because of your mom. Tell him thank you. How ungrateful you must be.

Another thing I remember about this same Charles Sirleaf is from the thuggish Charles Taylor regime. Charles was head, I think, of the National Housing Bank. At the time he lived in Paynesville near the ELWA Junction.

The Police report was that Charles had private security guards guarding his house. One night, someone broke into Charles’ house and made away with his video player. The Police CID were called to investigate the break-in.

But Charles was not happy with the pace of the police investigation, so he decided to play judge, jury and executioner. Indeed, Charles took the poor security guards back to his home; had them tied and suspended against his compound wall/fence and whipped the hell out of them as punishment for his missing VSH player. Could this his stolen money be the answer to the prayers of those poor security guards he flogged unmercifully? 

I am anxiously awaiting the outcome of the investigation by the police into who “stole US$700,000.00 and Liberian L$10 million” belonging to the former indicted Deputy Governor of the Central Bank of Liberia, a son of former President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf. Just a thought and not a sermon. 

Jerry Wehtee Wion,
Washington, DC, USA
[email protected]