As the Special Presidential Task Force Set up to Look into Allegations by the London-Based Watchdog Group Global Witness that some prominent former and current Liberian officials took bribes from the publicly quoted British company Sable Mining Africa Limited to facilitate access to valuable mining concessions agreements, many are wondering whether ongoing investigations could lead searches, seizures and indictment in the norm that Liberia’s adopted Stepfather, the United States of America has been dealing with high-profile political movers and shakers caught in corruption web
Monrovia – Dennis Hastert was once one of the most powerful politicians in America – serving as House Speaker from 1999 to 2007 – the longest run for a Republican Speaker in history. Jesse Jackson Jr. was a fiery orator whose speech delivery propelled him among the rising stars in U.S. politics. Neither may ever see the inside of a U.S. congressional hall after their recent sentencing.
Hastert is currently serving a 15-months jail time for paying $1.7 million in hush money to silence one of the five teenage boys he sexually abused when he was a high school wrestling coach while Jackson Jr., D-Ill., completed his prison sentence last September after pleading guilty in 2013 to looting $750,000 from campaign funds that he and his wife used for lavish and mundane personal expenses. Jackson pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit false statements and mail and wire fraud and his wife, Sandi, pleaded guilty to filing a false federal income tax return and was sentenced to one year in prison.
The release of the recent report by the London-based watchdog group, Global Witness alleging that more than $950,000 in bribes and other suspicious payments were made to top Liberian officials by the United Kingdom-based Sable Mining company and its Liberian lawyer, Varney Sherman, has sent shock wave throughout the country despite reluctance and the outright refusal by some of those named to submit to the Special Presidential Task Force.
According to the report entitled – The Deceivers – Sable wanted to get the concession rights to Liberia’s Wologizi iron ore.
Sherman, chairman of the ruling Unity who allegedly told Sable Mining that in order to get the contract, the company must first offer bribes to senior officials to change Liberia’s concession laws, has said he will not submit to probe and has called the report a “reckless disregard” for the truth.
Sherman also said he and his law firm are prohibited by law and the Liberian constitution from divulging to anyone what they did for Sable Mining when they served as the company’s lawyers in Liberia in 2010.
“Our code of professional ethics and the Liberian Constitution prohibits us from making any such disclosures and we will subscribe to those tenets even if we were to be taken to the gallows to be hanged,” Sherman said.
The Task Force on Tuesday sent out invitation letters to all of those named in the report but not all have been flooding the gates to submit to the probe.
Fombah, Others Appear; Saytumah Sends Excuse
On Wednesday, FrontPageAfrica gathered that a few of those named in the report showed up at the Ministry of Justice to answer to inquiries.
According to sources, those reportedly submitting themselves were: Mr. Willie Belleh, Chairman of Public Procurement and Concessions Commission; Ernest C. B Jones, former Deputy Minister at the Ministry of Lands, Mines and Energy; former Senate Pro Temp Cletus Wotorson; Sumo Kupee, former Senator from Lofa County and current Managing Director of the Liberia Petroleum Refining Company and Fombah Sirleaf, President Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf’s son who happens to be the Director of the National Security Agency(NSA).
According to the report, Mr. Belleh, allegedly received $10,000 as “consulting fees” while Jones and Chris Onanuga are listed for receiving US$4,500 in accommodation fees.
Senator Kupee and former Pro Temp Wotorson are both named for allegedly receiving $5,000 each in “consulting fees”.
The report also alleges that President Sirleaf’s son, Fombah, benefited with “a $7,598 hunting trip to South Africa paid for by Sable.”
FrontPageAfrica also gathered that Mr. Morris Saytumah, a former Minister of State for Finance, Economic and Legal Affairs, now a Senator reportedly sent a letter that he was occupied with a confirmation hearing for Harriet Badio, President Sirleaf’s nominee as Deputy Minister of Justice. Senator Saytumah allegedly received $50,000 for “consulting fees”, according to the Global Witness report.
UP former Chair Clarke Skype Probe Likely
Mr. Charles Clarke, who was chairman of the ruling Unity Party when the US$200,000 changed hands, is currently in the United States of America but reportedly asked to be interviewed by phone. The Task Force is considering Skype option for the interview, a source told FrontPageAfrica Wednesday.
The report states that Sherman, who has represented investors such as Chevron and Firestone, has also benefitted from his dealings with Sable.
A $200,000 pay-out from Sable’s funds labelled ‘political contribution – UP convention’ is dated 22 April 2010, less than three weeks before a Unity Party conference where Sherman was elected party Chairman.
At the same convention, Unity Party members elected Henry Fahnbulleh as Secretary General. Sherman opposed this and publicly demanded Fahnbulleh’s resignation.
Documents seen by Global Witness show how, on 24 June, Sable paid out US$25,000, labelled as ‘Political contribution – UP Secretary General resignation.’ Fahnbulleh quit the next day.
Fahnbulleh has dismissed the allegations. “I was offered ministerial jobs, I turned them down, but I saw issue of ethnicity and divisiveness creeping into the political party, so I resigned. But to read a report that mentioned my name in passing that I was given US$25k to resign, I see that as unfortunate, untrue and serious error.
“If the payment was done on the 24th I did not receive it because I resigned on the 24th. This report is false and misleading — at no time did I receive a dime to resign. I challenge the Global witness to provide additional information,” Fahnbulleh said.
Earlier this week, House Speaker Alex Tyler (UP-Bomi), who is listed in the report as having received US$75,000 in consultancy fees, while expressing his willingness to submit to a probe to safeguard the integrity of his office and the entire Legislative Branch of Government, says he has issues with the Task Force.
In a statement Monday, Speaker Tyler however alarmed that in order to lend credibility to the process, he is proposing that an independent panel outside of government, with representation of the Press Union of Liberia, Civil Society, Inter-Religious Council, Liberia National Bar Association and others be constituted, to launch an immediate inquest in to the alleged bribery scandal, to ascertain the veracity of the claims in the Global Witness Report.
“I shall avail myself to any such body to safeguard the integrity of my office and that of the entire Legislative Branch of Government, “the Speaker said.
The Special Presidential Task Force, responding to those concerns, says it remains committed to the process of transparency while urging all to maintain calm and refrain from acts that could prejudice the ongoing investigation process as everyone is deemed innocent until proven otherwise.
But the reluctance and refusal of some to appear before the Task Force may not be the only obstacle in the quest for answers.
While the early buzz suggests that the decision by some to cooperate with the investigation Wednesday could prompt others who have rejected the Task Force and declining to cooperate to follow suit; a nagging culture of close-knit families and friends and the tie that binds often have the tendencies to delay the enforcement of laws against graft.
A case in point is Cllr. Frederick Cherue, the man recently nominated to head the Ministry of Justice is a close friend of Sherman who happens to be the Chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee.
Sherman, earlier this week, stepped aside as presiding for the hearing because, according to him, he has a personal family relationship with the nominee. His Co-chair, Senator Morris Saytumah of Bomi County presided over the session.
Possible Conflict of Interest
Cherue, responding to a question from Senator Blibo Brown (Independent, Maryland), about how he intends to deal with those named in the Global Witness report he said; “Accusations are not proof. If they are accused; we will ask them to recluse themselves.”
Prior to his appointment, Cherue was a member of the legal team of Madam Matilda Parker former Managing Director of the National Port Authority in her US$ 800,000.00 case. He is a former Senator from River Gee County.
Sources say all the witnesses who showed up Wednesday cooperated although some, who appeared without counsel, stopped in the middle of the process thereby bringing the investigation to a halt.
Global Witness maintains that it not only has proof that the payments were made; but also proof that the intention of the payments was to first get the law changed in order to second get the iron ore deal based on the advice given to the company by Sherman, their lawyer, that they should get the law changed in order to get the contract.
All this, according to Jonathan Gant, senior campaigner on Liberia for Global Witness, amounts to a strong basis for the Liberian government to build a solid case and begin proceeding with criminal charges against those named in the report.
“If it is found that they broke the law, Liberian government officials should be removed from office and prosecuted, while Sherman should be disbarred and also face criminal charges,” Gant said.
‘Take it Seriously’, Liberia Warned
But first, the Task Force, is under immense scrutiny and pressure to deliver a finding that an antsy but sceptical nation will embrace while fighting off strong resistance from the Speaker of the House; the third in line of succession of the Liberian presidency and one of the most influential lawyers and Senators in a post-war nation on the mends, engulfed in a recurring state of uncertainty over a perceived lack of political will to end graft, aptly summed up by Karin Landgren, the former Special Representative of the UN Secretary General who observed as many others have, that corruption is affecting every aspect of the Liberian society, including the school system and the security sector as Liberia prepares for life after UNMIL.
For now, many Liberians remain sceptical that anything will come out of the ongoing probe, partly due to the experiences from previous committees set up to probe other controversial cases that have led to little action on the part of government to end graft.
The Global Witness report has however unravelled what many diplomatic observers say may be too large a scandal to easily be forgotten or thrown in the dustbin as others before, a point the Assistant Secretary of State for African Affairs Linda Thomas Greenfield hit home when she addressed the local media this week: “Global Witness is a reputable organization that do these kinds of reports, that we need to take it seriously and what they are suggesting, should be investigated by the government and if there are areas that the government would take further actions, I would encourage the government to take those actions…”
Rodney D. Sieh, [email protected]