Ganta, Nimba County – On the eve of its convention at the weekend, the opposition Liberty Party’s momentum was rattled following the leak of an Internal Audit Unit (IAU) of the Ministry of Finance and Development Planning on the operational audit of the Private Sector Development Initiatives (PSDI).
Report by Rodney D. Sieh, [email protected]
PSDI is a project, which was established in 2014 at the MFDP to provide loans to Liberian-owned small and medium-sized Enterprises (SME).
The loan was meant to financially-strengthen Liberian businesses. In so doing, the process would create jobs and accelerate the participation of Liberian owned businesses in the economy of Liberia.
Sanvee is mention as head of one of several businesses that allegedly received business loans totaling US$545,700 but, according to the findings those businesses could not be located.
Auditors noted: “We received GE Fund account statement, loan agreements and customers’ file verification to authenticate the existence of the businesses including all other borrowers who received loans from PSDI.”
“Based on their addresses on books, we did not find or see the twelve(12) businesses at locations stipulated. We tried to contact them using telephone numbers obtained from borrowers’ files, but their phones were permanently switched off.”
The report continues: “However, on May 31, 2015, while concluding the draft report, we made further contacts, and were able to reach Mr. Benjamin Sanvee, CEO/Sanvee Holdings Inc.
He told us that we did not see the business at Bong-Mines Bridge as stipulated on the business file because; they have transferred/moved to Sinkor, 24th Street.
When questioned on the repayment of the US$45,000 loan received from the project, he promised to call us back after he shall have consulted his financial officer.”
The report noted that disbursing loans to institutions that do not exist or cannot be located constitutes deception, integrity issue and fraud as it came to the following conclusion:
“The actors Dr. James Kollie, Mr. Amos Koukou, the PSDI evaluation team and those entities should be further investigated. This is necessary because the actors should not have been the ones to vet and disburse loans anyway. This should have been the responsibility of LBDI.”
At the Liberty Party’s convention in Ganta at the weekend, party executives, in murmurs acknowledged that the Sanvee mention in the audit presents a political and embarrassing dilemma for the party.
Sanvee, himself is aware but declined comment on the matter until after the convention festivities. “I’m having a press conference on Tuesday because the story met us at the convention. I will have all the facts and evidences on Tuesday to show that there was no bogus company,” the party chair told FrontPageAfrica Sunday.
Within the party hierarchy however, suggestions are being thrown around to have Sanvee stepped aside in a bid to allow him to deal with the investigation into the audit report that is rattling a few cages and drawing former officials at the ministry of finance into public rebuke.
Both the party’s standard bearer and vice standard bearer used their acceptance speeches at the weekend to trumpet integrity as a cornerstone of the party’s platform to the presidency.
Brumskine noted: “I believe that because I know that the salient issues of the ensuing elections are trust and integrity. Of all the Presidential candidates, which one can Liberia truly trust—who was he that stood up for Liberia when you needed an alternative voice in 2003; which of us has the integrity to lead our country; which of us has served in the Liberian government at such high level as that of President Pro Tempore of the Liberian Senate, and left with his character intact and free of scandal?”
He continued: “Of all that the enemies of change may say about me, fortunately, they cannot say that I do not possess the requisite education; they will not say that I do not have the relevant public service experience; and, they would be hard pressed to say that I am not a man of integrity.”
“I have not been mentioned in any public scandal, government audit, or corruption report. I have never enriched myself from the public treasury, while the disadvantaged and vulnerable, young people and old folks remained unattended by their government.”
Karnwea for his part, said in his acceptance speech that both he and Brumskine are committed to lead Liberia and weed out corruption.
The opposition is already pouncing on what some see as a glitch in the Liberty Party’s argument for integrity.
“For the fact that Liberty Party political Leader Cllr. Charles W. Brumskine has openly declared his quest to battle corruption it now behooves the party to investigate it’s Chairman Ben Sanvee who is accused in the audit report of not having a stationed office and nearly three years he has not paid a dime on the loan,” Rep. Acarous Gray(CDC, District 8, Montserrado County) told FrontPageAfrica Sunday.
“His action is fraudulent especially when his office cannot be located and his refusal to pay the loan.Once the Liberty Party does not act the issue of a Crisis of integrity hangs over the institution.”