Monrovia – Amid growing concerns the National Security Agency (NSA) has been used to funnel money, FrontPageAfrica has obtained copies of checks suggesting questionable disbursements by the agency in 2023.

By Gerald C. Koinyeneh, gerald.koinyeneh@frontpageafricaonline.com

The checks reveal over a span of five weeks, Emmanuel Wilson, a single individual, withdrew a total of US$3.3 million from the NSA’s Central Bank account. The first check, for US$1.5 million, was cashed on Thursday, August 10, 2023. The following day, Friday, August 11, Wilson cashed a check for US$300,000 at the Central Bank of Liberia (CBL), processed by Teller 54. On August 23, Wilson withdrew an additional US$500,000, followed by a final withdrawal of US$1 million on September 18, 2023.

These disbursements were made under the leadership of James Henric Pearson II, who served as NSA director from 2018 to 2024. All four checks were processed by Teller 54 at the CBL, stamped by both the NSA and CBL, and bore the same authorized signatures. The NSA did not respond to FPA inquiry.

Immune to Audit

The NSA, a national-level intelligence agency under the authority of the President of Liberia, is responsible for global monitoring, data collection, and counterintelligence within Liberian communications networks and information systems. Due to its clandestine operations, the NSA has long been perceived as the main government arm used to funnel money. The agency’s actual budget for FY 2023 was US$9 million.

Despite these concerns, the NSA appears immune to audit. President Joseph Boakai, who has made the fight against corruption a top priority, directed the General Auditing Commission (GAC) to conduct a comprehensive audit of the Central Bank of Liberia, the NSA, and the Executive Protection Service (EPS) shortly after taking office. The audit was to cover the period between 2018 and 2023, corresponding to the six-year tenure of the Weah-led government. But as the GAC was about to conduct the audit, the President reportedly ordered the NSA should not be audited. Only the CBL and the EPS were audited by the GAC.

Trails of Corruption

Audits of the CBL and EPS have revealed trails of corruption and poor governance, increasing calls for broader audits of all government institutions. A recently released GAC audit of the CBL exposed serious financial irregularities, undermining financial integrity and accountability within one of Liberia’s key institutions.

The report highlighted substantial irregularities in the disbursement of over US$700,000 to CBL staff members for legal and consultancy services. Funds designated for these expenses were disbursed under the guise of payments to external consultants and contractors, yet documentation proving proper use of these funds was lacking. Specifically, the audit noted that the CBL disbursed US$742,120 classified as legal expenditures and an additional US$90,000 for other services, but these payments were made to staff members instead of directly to service providers.

Just as in the case of Emmanuel Wilson at the NSA, the GAC report pointed to substantial payments made to individuals like E.H. Barclay and J.G. Innis at the CBL, raising serious questions about the legitimacy of these transactions. Payments to Barclay included US$50,000 on May 30, 2023, and US$55,000 on July 25, 2022, while Innis received US$437,000, including US$40,000 on July 31, 2023, and US$30,000 on February 10, 2021.

The lack of documentation proving the actual transfer of these funds or the specific services rendered raises serious concerns about the proper utilization and management of financial resources within the CBL. The practice of routing payments through staff members, rather than directly to service providers, suggests potential attempts to obscure the true nature of these transactions.

Calls for Reform

The Central Bank of Liberia has stated that these payments were intended for staff to disburse to external consultants and contractors. However, the lack of evidence documenting these transactions raises doubts about whether the services were delivered and whether the expenditures were appropriate.

In light of these findings, the GAC recommends that each staff member listed in the report provide clear, verifiable evidence that the funds received were delivered to the intended service providers and that the services were rendered. Failure to produce such evidence should result in the staff members being held accountable and required to repay the funds. This measure is crucial for ensuring financial accountability and restoring public trust in the CBL’s financial management practices.

Monrovia – Mr. Sekou Dukuly, the managing director of the National Port Authority (NPA), is widely regarded among members of the ruling Unity Party as an advocate of good governance, openness, and transparency.

By Selma Lomax, Webster Clayeh and Jahiem Tumu

Mr. Dukuly often highlights his business success in speeches and printed literature, emphasizing his numerous affiliations and accomplishments. However, two checks obtained by FrontPageAfrica raise questions about his transparency.

Conflict of Interest Concerns

The two checks, one for $38,500 and the other for $15,000, were issued to Labor Minister Cooper Kruah’s Henries, Kruah & Associate Law Firm, totaling $53,000 for “court-related matters.” Legal experts suggest that this action, involving a government employee, violates professional standards.

The funds were compensation for defending the NPA in a case involving 10 employees dismissed by Mr. Dukuly, who had filed for “unlawful dismissals” at the Sixth Judicial Circuit Law Court at the Temple of Justice in Monrovia on March 29, 2024.

Mr. Dukuly did not respond to a WhatsApp message or phone call from FrontPageAfrica on Wednesday. He has been accused of unlawfully dismissing some of the workers he met there to create room for partisans of the Unity Party.

Cllr. Kruah has been associated with conflict of interest issues when he served in the Weah-Taylor administration as Minister of Post and Telecommunications. Investigation conducted by The Daylight showed that Kruah held five percent of the shares in Universal Forestry Corporation (UFC), a mining company operating in Nimba County and other parts of the country. According to the firm’s legal document, Before Kruah’s appointment, the company had held a few logging concessions. However, the company began to acquire a flurry of mining licenses after he became the Postmaster General.

Krua was first nominated by President Joseph Boakai as Minister of Justice, but following public outcry over his questionable records in the legal fields, his nomination was withdrawn and he ended up as Minister of Labor.

Unethical Practices of Cllr. Kruah

Before his nomination was withdrawn, an investigation by FrontPageAfrica revealed that Cllr. Kruah was found guilty of unethical practice as a lawyer by the Grievance and Ethics Committee of the Supreme Court of Liberia.

Between 2011 and 2012, Kruah served as a lawyer for the Mano River Agriculture Rehabilitation & Development Corporation (MARDCO) and won a case involving the corporation and Mr. Edmondo Trombetta. According to MARDCO, Kruah received US$108,941.65 on behalf of MARDCO for the proceeds of MARDCO’s rubber from the Republic of Sierra Leone that was sold in Liberia by the civil law court. However, Cllr. Cooper Kruah allegedly diverted US$58,814.08 into his personal account.

MARDCO filed a complaint against Cllr. Cooper W. Kruah to then Chief Justice Francis S. Korkpor at the Supreme Court of Liberia on June 24, 2014. The legal proceedings were conducted through the Grievance and Ethics Committee of the Supreme Court, which found Cllr. Kruah guilty of unethical practice and recommended that Chief Justice Korkpor enforce their findings and recommendations. MARDCO claims that Korkpor failed to enforce the judgment due to his personal relationship with Cllr. Kruah. However, Kruah claimed that he paid the money.

Accusations and Counterclaims

Recently, Mr. Dukuly criticized his predecessors for their lack of contributions during a Ministry of Information press briefing, where he presented a symbolic $2 million check to the Government of Liberia as the NPA’s contribution to the General Revenue Account. He claimed that during the last six years under former President George Weah, the NPA contributed $4 million to government revenue.

Mr. Bill Tweahway, who headed the NPA during President Weah’s tenure and is now a Senator of River Cess County, rebuffed Dukuly’s claims, calling them politically motivated and inaccurate.

Twehway’s Response

Senator Twehway urged Mr. Dukuly to focus on his duties rather than attacking his predecessors. He stated that the NPA contributed $3.5 million in just three months during his tenure and a total of $5.5 million in one fiscal year.

Fact-Checking and Verification

Local Voices Liberia, a network countering misinformation, reviewed financial statements published by the Ministry of Finance and Development Planning. They found that during President Weah’s administration from 2018 to 2023, the NPA contributed $9.5 million to the National Budget, contradicting Dukuly’s claims.

The financial discrepancies and accusations between Mr. Dukuly and his predecessors raise significant concerns about transparency and governance within the NPA. As the controversy unfolds, it highlights the importance of accurate financial reporting and accountability in public administration.

MONROVIA – FrontPageAfrica has gathered that Liberian foreign mission workers across the globe have been left stranded by the Liberian government for six to eight months without paying their rent, cost-of-living adjustments, and even salaries.

By Lennart Dodoo, ldodoo@frontpageafricaonline.com

While this has slowed down activities at these embassies like the Liberian Embassy in Washington D.C., most of the staff are still sacrificing by being punctual at work and ensuring that the embassy remains operational.

A Liberian diplomat who spoke to FrontPageAfrica on condition of anonymity said staff from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs assigned at the embassy have not received their rent and even salary for the past eight months, while press attaches at various embassies across the globe have not received theirs for the past five months.

“In countries like America, these people don’t joke with their rent, so imagine the foreign workers there going five to eight months without receiving money from their government for rent. There is no life insurance and here, when you send your children to school, the government compels us to have insurance for our children,” the diplomat lamented.

Another diplomat who spoke to FrontPageAfrica wondered why the past government would boast of leaving over US$40 million for the new government when its employees around the world were being left heavily indebted.

“The Weah administration left US$40m for President Boakai to start with, but what was the essence when you were owing people in foreign missions who also have family obligations. Our rent is overdue, some of us here are being rescued here by family and friends. We’ve been sacrificing, but how long would we continue like this?” the diplomat said.

At her confirmation hearing earlier this month, the new Minister of Foreign Affairs, Sara Beysolow Nyanti, vowed to ensure the holistic rebranding of Liberia’s foreign relations to attract economic, social, and political benefits for the nation and its citizens.

According to her, the relationship with traditional allies and international bodies will be strengthened to yield sustainable transformational actions to move the country forward.

She named strategic Foreign Service and relations, rebranding Liberia, safeguarding identity, creating an enabling environment for investment, capacity building, and staff welfare as her key vision. She said though the challenges remain huge, she would use her experience while working for the international body to help ensure that Liberia remains a partner to foreign nations, international, and regional bodies, instead of being a beggar. Madam Nyanti stressed that her skills in negotiation would help assess and build relationships with countries to transform Liberia.

Monrovia – Willie Tolbert stumbled upon the Presidency by accident. When then Speaker of the House of Representatives, B.G. Freeman was selected by the True Whig Party to replace Vice President Clarence Lorenzo Simpson, heading into the election of 1951, Freeman died suddenly, and was replaced by Representative William R. Tolbert, Jr. Freeman’s death gave rise to the birth of the Tubman-Tolbert ticket which won, and the pair was inaugurated as President and VP in 1952.

By Rodney D. Sieh, rodney.sieh@frontpageafricaonline.com

The pair went on to win elections every four years after the 1955 election against the independent True Whig party headed by former President Edwin Barclay up to 1971, although under a quasi-one-party state. However, before the inauguration of 1972 Tubman died (July 1971) and VP Tolbert succeeded him, tipping Sen. James E. Greene of Sinoe County as his Vice president. Vice President Green died July 1977 and Bishop Bennie D. Warner of the United Methodist Church succeeded VP Greene as the new and second vice president to President William R. Tolbert.

Old vs. New – Changing VP Trend

Until his ascendancy to the Presidency, Tolbert was unassuming, quiet and unpredictable and most Liberians considered him to be a VP who did not give or help ordinary Liberians financially like his boss, president Tubman. After he took the seat of the presidency, Liberians and the world saw the assertive side of the former preacher man.  As a Vice President, Tolbert was cautious and understanding of the autocrat Tubman and his own personal ambition to become president someday. To the contrary, Tolbert the president was assertive in some public spaces, but guarded in his dealings with the “old guard” in the party and elsewhere. However, it was his inability to lead in his dealings with the old guards/Tubmanists was part of his undoing.

Vice Presidents since the old days have often had a quiet personality, just like Tolbert, with the exception of Simpson, who was passed over by Tubman, in his decision to select Tolbert as his Vice President.

Tubman was quite aware of Simpson’s political credentials and ambition.  Before becoming Secretary of State, Simpson had served as Postmaster General and Speaker of the House of Representatives, from 1931 to 1934. After leaving the Department of State in 1943, Simpson was one of the candidates in the True Whig Party primary caucus that year but lost to Tubman. He served as the Vice President from 1944 to 1952 under Tubman. He had been a Liberian delegate to the League of Nations in 1934 and headed the Liberian delegation to the United Nations in 1945. Additionally, Simpson also had served as Ambassador to the Court of St. James, London, England; Ambassador to the United States, Washington, D.C.; Grand Master of Masons, Liberia and head of the True Whig Party.

Since the end of the civil war, Liberia has had two successive democratic transitions – President Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf to President George Weah – and President George Weah to President Joseph Boakai. Throughout those times, the vice presidents selected had quiet personalities. As vice president, Joseph Boakai was like a fly on the wall, quiet and unassuming. Although Boakai would later tell Liberians in a presidential debate that he was a car parked in the garage during the twelve years of the Sirleaf leadership, his personality, many political observers say, his personality has always been that way.

Sirleaf’s successor, George Weah tipped Jewel Howard Taylor, the former first lady and Senator from vote-rich Bong County. Although she had sought the bar for vice presidents by pledging to not be a car parked in the garage, her six years under Weah was just that.

In the heat of last year’s presidential elections, Boakai took major risks and fought off opposition to the man who would become his vice president, Jeremiah Koung.

In Koung, Boakai saw a politician with the potential for numbers. Koung, an ally to the former warlord-turned Senator Prince Johnson, was worth the risk. He hailed from a vote-rich county that was crucial to Weah’s victory in 2017 and Sirleaf’s reelection in 2011. Coupled with the failings of the Weah administration and a nation eager to see the Coalition for Democratic Change out the door, it was a gamble worth taking – and it did.

The Invisible President

One month into the Boakai presidency, the Koung risk becoming a major debacle for Boakai. Multiple aides to the Boakai inner circle tell FrontPageAfrica that the once unassuming businessman and political amateur is flexing his muscles in ways no one saw coming. FrontPageAfrica has learned that the Vice President has quietly plugged many of his allies and confidantes in key government positions at the Ministry of Finance, Lands, Mines and Energy, Labor, and LPRC, among others. Along with Bong County Senator Prince Moyer, he is also pressuring newly appointed ministers and managing directors of state-owned enterprises to appoint his allies in key positions.

At Finance, VP Koung has been successful in maintaining Tanneh Brunson as Deputy Minister for Budget and Development, a role she has been in since 2015 during the Sirleaf presidency. Anthony Myers, Deputy Minister for Fiscal Affairs and Dehpue Zuo, Deputy Minister for Economic Management, both from Nimba were also reportedly pushed by Koung.

At the Liberia Petroleum Refinery Company, Koung successfully pushed to have his interest at Deputy Managing Director for Operation, Operations Manager and Chief of Security. Perhaps the most visible is at the Roberts Flight International Region where much controversy in recent days arose over the appointment of Daniel Johnson as Deputy Secretary General for Administrative Affairs at the Roberts Flight Information Region (RFIR).

Johnson was one of three former humanitarian aid workers accused of defrauding the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) of roughly $1.9 million that was meant to assist impoverished people and towns in Liberia.

The other two, Joe O. Bondo, 39, and Morris B. Fahnbulleh, 41, both of Monrovia, were each convicted by a jury in November 2010 of one count of conspiracy to defraud the United States, four counts of mail fraud, two counts of wire fraud and four false claims counts. Bondo was also convicted of two counts of witness tampering. Fahnbulleh was also convicted of one count of conspiracy to commit mail and wire fraud. The two men have been in custody since their arrests in 2009.

Efforts to have Johnson extradited to the US to answer charges did not materialize as the Criminal Court under Judge Boima Kontoe’s gavel ruled that because the alleged theft took place in Monrovia, the accused cannot be tried in the US.

 In a sudden turn of events, the Senate Committee on Transport, through its Chairman Senator Saah Joseph, this week challenged the Minister of Transport-designate Sirleaf Tyler to conduct a thorough investigation and advice President Boakai on the nomination of Johnson.

VP Koung also pushed another of his interests, Cllr. Cooper Kruah at Minister of Justice, a nomination which was later reversed by President Boakai. Kruah was found guilty by the Grievance and Ethics Committee of the Supreme Court for allegedly taking US$58,814 from a client and not paying.

Many have been taken aback at not just the slow pace of the Boakai’s government formation, but the rather unorganized manner in which the process has been unfolding. The President appears to have delegated responsibilities to Koung and a few Senators, including Pro Temp Nyonblee Karnga-Lawrence, Senator Senators Abraham Darius Dillon (Montserrado County and Prince Moye (Bong).

The decision by the President to delegate nominating and appointing responsibilities to others has raised a lot of eyebrows with many pointing toward that as a key reason Vice President Koung is having his way. Some Liberians are concerned whether President Boakai is outsourcing his constitutional responsibility to appoint government officials to VP Koung and others in the same vein that his predecessor, former President George Weah did when he outsourced his appointing powers to his Minister of State, Nathaniel McGill.

For many political observers, Vice President Koung’s recent overtures appear to be overshadowing President Boakai.

Private Plane to Accra; Same Plane to Rabat

Last week, Koung categorically denied reports that he flew out of Monrovia on Saturday afternoon on a private plane. The Vice President’s office posted photographs with the seal of his office boarding an Accra-Bound private plane.

The VP explained that he was on his way to Nigeria where he is representing President Boakai to attend the Bayesla State Governor Inauguration.

While acknowledging that he had run into Ghanaian billionaire businessman Mahama at a local hotel and mentioned that he was on his way to Nigeria and the Ghanaian millionaire offered him a ride to Accra, from where he departed for Nigeria on Monday.

Mahama is the founder of Engineers and Planners, a West African indigenous-owned mining company, who owns several other businesses in Ghana, including Dzata Cement Limited. He is the younger brother of John Dramani, President of Ghana from 2012 to 2017. Dzata is the name written on the plane which VP Koung accompanied Mahama to Accra.

Some detractors are in ire, raising questions about timing, especially amid new report that VP Koung also flew the same plane to the Parliamentary Conference on South- South Cooperation in Rabat, Morocco.

The conference held under the High patronage of His Majesty King Mohammed VI, kicked off Thursday in Rabat, under the theme “Role of National Parliaments and Regional and Continental Parliamentary Unions in Africa, the Arab World, and Latin America in Enhancing.

What is troubling about Koung’s recent travel via private Jet – first to Ghana, and now, Rabat, Morocco – is that he’s using a plane owned by the billionaire Mahama who is already involved in mining operations in Liberia and is looking to expand his Liberia interests through the recent deal in which U.S. firm High Power Exploration Inc (HPX), founded by mining billionaire Robert Friedland, signed a letter of intent with Liberia’s government and Guma Africa Group to develop rail and road projects linking it with Guinea. The infrastructure projects, known as the Liberty Corridor, are expected to support the West African region’s connection to world markets and are estimated to cost between $3 billion to $5 billion.

On Thursday, the VP’s office posted photographs with him along with Mr. Morley P. Kamara, Senior Economic Adviser to the President, Jake Kabakollie, former Officer in Charge at the National Oil Company of Liberia, Senator Alex Tyler(Bomi), a former controversial speaker of the House of Representatives and representatives and Nigerian President Bola Tinubu’s Chief of Staff, Femi Gbajabiamila.

The controversy over the private plane from Mahama comes in the backdrop of President Boakai’s predecessor, former President George Weah who came under fire for flying of private planes and was a major issue during the administration of the former President George Weah, who reportedly spent More than US2million on Private jet during his presidency.

Conflicting Details on Nigeria Trip

The visibility being given VP Koung so early in the Boakai presidency pales in comparison to former vice presidents, including Boakai.

While very little details are being released to the public on Koung’s mission to Nigeria, FrontPageAfrica has been informed that NOCAL’s former Chief of Staff, Kabakollie and Senator Tyler are reportedly working through a group in Nigeria in a Government to Government deal similar to Kuwaiti Oil in hopes of securing a deal for oil block allocation.

In December 2012, the Sirleaf administration announced the signing of an oil agreement with the government of Kuwait. During the same time, the LPRC disclosed that it had discussions with the Kuwaiti Petroleum Company (KPC) for the supply of petroleum products at concessionary price.

FrontPageAfrica has learned that NOCAL cannot sign any agreements with any company or country without a board which has not been named by President Boakai.

Even more troubling for the vice president and his advisors is the lack of attention to the details of his travels. The official release from the Vice President’s office made no mention of a trip to Rabat, Morocco. In a statement, the VP office said, he was going to represent the President at Baysa State Governor Inauguration. The VP’s office said while on the trip, he would be meeting several leaders of the West African Nation (Nigeria) and was expected to depart from Accra to Lagos on Monday, February 12,2024.

In 2021, President Weah wrote to his counterpart, President Buhari, requesting allocation for crude oil. This subsequently led to NOCAL and NNPC meeting, and subsequently, NOCAL was placed on the list for allocation.

Ironically, Nigeria crude oil allocation for economic growth entails that every year, Nigeria allocates crude oil to countries. In 2021 Liberia was fortunate to be given a slot with its Local Partner Gladius commodity for crude oil lifts. Unfortunately, due to covid and Nigeria using the crude as subsidy, Liberia was or other countries on that list was never opportune to receive any allocation.

For the immediate future, VP Koung is riding on a high, cutting deals and putting his stamp on every sector of government while enjoying the non-interference of a president who at least for now appears to be in approval of what is unfolding – even at his own detriment – and legacy.

For now, VP Koung appears to be amassing immense influence and power with an eye on the 2029 Presidential elections. All this coming amid recurring concerns about President Boakai’s health with many suggesting that the President may only serve one-term. VP Koung is said to be already putting together a team of Senators including Prince Moye(Bong), Alex Tyler(Bomi), James Biney(Maryland) and Rep. Thomas Fallah(Montserrado) with an eye on his own presidential future. Additionally, the VP’s play of inserting officials in lucrative government ministries and agencies also raises a red flag and unanswered questions about his motives.

VP Koung’s rising influence also comes with some risks, in the backdrop of the former administration of President Weah where most of his senior officials spent most of their time and energy eyeing the 2029 elections in hopes of succeeding Weah. 

For the foreseeable future however, the end that justifies the means, has some familiar lessons from the memory lane of Liberia’s complicated past, which has led to international sanctions for the immediate past government and senior officials, treading similar roads often traveled by a few powerful people turning a blind eye to the history books.

Monrovia – Will the incoming Boakai Administration be in dire fiscal straits? Are the coffers bare? Will the administration have enough money to pay civil servants their outstanding salaries and have enough to run a government? What is the total time frame before the country run out of essential commodities including gasoline, the staple food rice, medicine, and foreign currency for imports? Does the country have enough net foreign exchange reserves to pay for essential imported commodities? The standard is three months of import cover, enough in foreign exchange reserves to buy three months of imports.

By Rodney D. Sieh, rodney.sieh@frontpageafricaonline.com

Ahead of next week’s inauguration of the Joseph N Boakai presidency, FrontPageAfrica delves into some issues that Mr. Boakai’s predecessors grappled with upon taking office including questions on whether the Joint Presidential Transition Team (JPTT) is operating efficiently and armed with sufficient information to overcome these hurdles?

Can the current stock of essential commodities cover three months, six months, one year? That’s the million-dollar question likely to gauge the first 100 days of the Boakai presidency. Liberia is an import dependent economy with 90 percent of consumables, especially essential commodities coming from outside of the country. The ability to keep sufficient quantities of these commodities in the country and to track the time before they run out have bedeviled preceding administrations.

Much of the issues, FrontPageAfrica has learned have not been addressed due to lapses in communication within the joint transitional team comprising of the incoming and the outgoing government.

CBL Mum on Reserves

The JPTT set up shortly after President Weah accepted the results of the election, was tasked with facilitating the smooth transfer of power from the current Coalition for Democratic Change government to the newly elected administration. It was agreed between both sides that decisions within the JPTT would be made by consensus, with any disagreements to be resolved jointly by the Incumbent President and the President-elect. The team’s mandate will cease upon the publication of the Final Report, ensuring the completion of the transition no later than 48 hours before the Inauguration of the President-elect and Vice President-elect.

With only a few days to inauguration, FrontPageAfrica has learned that the JNB team has been unsuccessful in gathering the necessary information from the outgoing government. These consist of key components including the total bank balance for all ministries, agencies, commissions, state owned enterprises, and projects; Total liabilities including advancement borrowings from banks to pay salaries. More importantly, some agencies have been borrowing from local banks since April 2023 to pay salaries. What is also unknown, FPA is gathering, is the total assets being inherited including cars, furniture, computers.

A source at the Central Bank speaking on condition of anonymity this week insists that the bank is collaborating with the joint transitional team and furnishing them with the necessary information needed for the incoming government.

Efforts by FPA to ascertain from the CBL, what the current reserves level is heading into the Boakai administration proved futile. FPA was also unable to get answers regarding the current balance of the consolidated account, the current debt the GoL owes the CBL, the current level of capitalization of the commercial banks and how much in USD does the CBL have on hand to finance three months of imports (rice, fuel, other consumables).

The Gasoline Impact

An investigation by FrontPageAfrica showed that in the petroleum sector for example, there is only an 81-days’ supply. Sources say the management of LPRC will need to meet with importers and inquire when shipments are coming in. For now, there’s only enough supply of gasoline to last until March 20th.

Over the past few years of the Weah administration, businesses and citizens had to endure long lines at petrol stations on numerous occasions over unexpected shortage of gasoline.

In January 2020 for example, three years after Weah assumed the Presidency, an error in the accounting of fuel supplies in state-run tanks left the country with 1.1 million gallons of fuel, a fraction of the 4.4 million that the government thought it had. And just like that, the government had a crisis on its hands.

Similar concerns are being when it comes to rice, medications, and foreign exchange for import.

Audits vs. Reality

Regarding drugs, at the country’s leading medical facility, the John F. Kennedy Medical Center, patients, in most cases are made to purchase their own medications.

Ironically, JFK, the National Drug Service, and the ministry of health, all bring in their own drugs into the country, with the NDS, ordering their own drugs through the World Health Organization. FrontPageAfrica has learned that there is only a two-month supply of drugs.

Inheritance has been a recurring theme for governments assuming control of the state.

When President Weah took over in 2018, he used a portion of his first annual message to hit home the point that his government was inheriting an empty coffer. “I inherited a country that is very broke, depleted by political malfeasance. We have to make sure that the things that happened will not happen again,” Weah said.

The President went on to state: “I ordered a complete audit to make sure that what belongs to the government goes to the government.”

Those audits never took place.

Ironically, his successor, Boakai is also coming under immense pressure to audit the Weah administration.

The issue of audits is central to most governments assuming power.

In 2018 for example, when Mr. Weah took over, he remarked in his Annual Message that while he had been President for only one week, he could not be expected to report with authority on the expenditure and income of his predecessors. “Of course, during the transition process, certain information has been provided to us on both income and expenditure, containing balances, which we now inherit to carry forward.”

President Weah reported that total revenues collected in calendar year 2017 amounted to 489.1 million US Dollars, which is a 13 percent decline over revenue collected in 2016, which was 565.1 million although he stated that he could not vouch for the accuracy or completeness of this information, in the absence of verification by a full and proper audit conducted by a competent authority.

For President Weah at the time, such highly unusual situation is caused by the delays in the recent electoral process, which had the effect of reducing the transition period from three months to three weeks.

President Weah went as far as to note that despite the above-described situation, the state of the economy he inherited left a lot to be desired. “This is plain for all to see, for we are all affected by it. Our economy is broken, our government is broke, our currency is in free-fall, inflation is rising, unemployment is at an unprecedented high, and our foreign reserves are at an all-time low.”

President Weah’s predecessor, Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf also did similar when she delivered her first Annual Message in January 2018. The President said: “Our Administration will therefore embark on a process of rationalizing our agencies of government to make them lean, efficient, and responsive to public service delivery. This will require the creation of a meritocracy that places premium on qualification, professionalism, and performance. As a major component of our Civil Service Reform Agenda, we will review our public service wage system with the view to ensuring that those who work in our Civil Service are paid commensurate with their qualifications and performance – and that they are paid on time. It may take us some time to achieve this objective given our inheritance of a bloated and poorly paid civil service for which there are currently salary and benefit arrears totaling some US$20 million.”

Sirleaf had inherited a country out of a brutal civil war and most of her assertions at the time were justified.

Her predecessor, the interim government of Charles Gyude Bryant was accused of widespread corruption. So did Bryant’s predecessor, Charles Taylor who was accused of diverting nearly $100 million of Liberia’s funds while in power. According to the New York Times, Taylor used the money to buy houses, cars and illegal weapons while fighting the civil war.

A Haunting Dilemma

What incoming governments inherit is crucial to how successive governments perform, how they deal with the lack of essential commodities, the bread and butter issues, which in most cases lead to strikes, riots and protests as was the case of the June 7, 2019 protest when thousands of Liberians gathered in the  capital to protest against the Weah government’s failures to tackle corruption, economic mismanagement and injustice.

Riot police lined the streets of Monrovia where more than 5,000 people turned out despite the rain for one of the city’s biggest protests in living memory, according to witnesses. The protesters walked to Capitol Hill to present the government with a list of demands.

This was less than 18 months after Weah had succeeded Sirleaf.

Upon ascending to power, Weah had immediately sought the help of rice importers as he tried to convince them to slash the price of the staple food, rice and ensure that it was substantially reduced and made affordable for ordinary Liberians.

Despite his plea and lashing on importers that it was intolerable that amid acute hardship and mass unemployment the price of rice continues to increase. “I am ready to collaborate with you and resolve all the issues that underpin the galloping price of rice so that our people will afford to buy. If government-imposed tax is an issue, you can rest assure that my government is more than ready to grant reasonable adjustments in the tax regime to make the reduction of rice price possible,” the President said.

Weah, who had run his campaign for President on a pro-poor mantra, was successful in negotiating the reduction of the price of rice by US$2 on a 25kg and a US$4 on a 50kg bag of rice respectively but those terms were only temporary and short-lived.

In the buildup to the June 7 protest, the President injected up to $25 million into the forex market, in a bid to bring more local cash into the formal banking system, part of what the President said were concrete measures to tackle rampant inflation and poverty. “I am fully aware of the negative impact of the declining exchange rate on the economic well-being of the Liberian people, and the serious hardship that this is beginning to cause,” Weah said in an address to the nation. “We believe a more aggressive enforcement of monetary policy should go a long way to … address the problem,” including giving the central bank stronger powers to regulate money changers and banks, he said.

Recurring Themes on Replay

Weah said the injection of dollars would help mop up some excess Liberian dollars, adding that 90 percent of local cash in circulation was being held outside the formal banking system, where there was no oversight.

The injection of the US$25 million proved to be the straw that broke the Weah’s government back as Liberians expressed outrage when billons of local currency wen missing with the revelations that 15.5bn Liberian dollars ($104m, £82m) of freshly minted currency had disappeared from Liberia’s port. Even more troubling was the management of the 25m US dollar cash injection into the economy last year.

Another potential headache for the incoming administration is the status of Liberia’s foreign exchange reserves. Have they been depleted due to spending to fund an election campaign? According to the World Bank, Liberia’s import bill has risen to nearly 2 billion dollars, meaning 500 million dollars in net foreign exchange reserves would be required to cover 3 months of import. Economists who prefer to speak off the record indicate that it would be near impossible for Liberia to have 500 million dollars in net reserves due to the heavy spending over the election period. This will present a burdensome problem that will require a quick fix.

For the immediate future, political observers say, as it was done by preceding governments, the incoming government’s first few days could be marred by the blame game of what the previous government did or didn’t do, what it should have done but failed.

This is why the foreseeable future could prove to be one of the unexpected. In the absence of clear and succinct turnover notes detailing what the incoming government is about to inherit, unforeseen problems could pop up when least expected, especially when the reality of new challenges begin to set in.

It can be recalled that seven months after taking office, the Coalition for Democratic Change (CDC) government in Liberia reiterated what President Weah had stated in his annual message, that it inherited a virtually depleted national coffers and that hundreds of millions of US dollars have spirited out of the country’s economy.

Finance and Development Planning Minister Samuel Tweah, at the time, said that more than US$500 million had left the economy and the government inherited US$65 million debt with commercial banks.

The Boakai Administration will also be looking for missing revenues over the last six years. Were all revenues accounted for and spent through the appropriate budgetary process? Was expenditure made in accordance with the budget which is a law? Several big-ticket items, including prepayment of taxes of US$30 million dollars, and a payment of 17.5 million dollars from Arcelor Mittal paid to the GOL’s consolidated account for onward payment to Solway remains unaccounted for and the company has filed a suit against the government.

Ironically, the refrains of the early days of the Weah administration could find itself hitting the reset button as the Boakai administration prepares to assume governance of a nation, now becoming a recurring theme of bad governance, corruption, greed, and the ultimate blame game at the last resort. The success or failure of the Boakai Administration would depend heavily on how it ensures accountability, efficiency, and compassion for its people.

Monrovia – FrontPageAfrica has learned from sources within the Supreme Court that the National Elections Commission (NEC) has finally submitted the Final Registration Roll (FRR) for all 15 counties, following an order by Justice in Chambers, Jamesetta Wolokollie.

By Willie N. Tokpah/0777039231

Justice Wolokollie had given the NEC an ultimatum to make the documents available for public inspection at each magisterial office during normal business hours and to provide electoral copies to stakeholders in a secure format by Saturday, September 30, at 4 p.m.

However, FPA has gathered that the NEC presented the FRR on Friday, September 29, at 9:45 p.m., after its request to postpone the presentation of Montserrado County’s FRR was rejected.

The NEC had previously sought an extension for Montserrado County until Tuesday, October 2, but Justice Wolokollie declined the request, compelling the NEC to present all 15 counties on Saturday.

Earlier, the NEC had only presented the FRR for Grand Gedeh County while appealing for a later date to present the remaining FRR.

Some pundits believe that the presentation of the FRR may lead the opposition Unity Party (UP) to raise concerns about further verification and scrutiny of the FRR.

The Unity Party has already expressed concerns about what it calls an increase in the number of registered voters in Montserrado, Margibi, Grand Bassa, and Grand Kru Counties, following the NEC’s cleaning-up process.

Unity Party Secretary-General Amos Tweh informed the media that instead of the FRR decreasing or remaining the same in these counties, it has seen a significant increase, which they attribute to potential electoral fraud.

There are rumors within the Unity Party that there are plans to request a stay order on the upcoming October 10th poll to conduct a thorough verification and scrutiny of the FRR.

Meanwhile, the Unity Party has yet to confirm these rumors, but FPA has gathered that a hearing on the Writ of Mandamus filed by the Unity Party is scheduled for Monday, October 2.

Justice Wolokollie requested a special session for both the Unity Party and the NEC to hear the Writ of Mandamus filed by the UP on Friday, September 29.

The hearing was initially expected to take place before the presiding Justice in the Chamber at 9:00 a.m. at the Temple of Justice. However, FPA was later informed by the court Press Officer that there was no hearing and the case had been rescheduled for Monday, October 2.

MONROVIA – FrontPageAfrica has seen documents that present facts contrary to media reports that Foreign Minister Dee-Maxwell Kemayah was denied U.S. Visa and therefore could not be with President George Weah’s entourage in New York for the UN General Assembly.

By Lennart Dodoo, ldodoo@frontpageafricaonline.com

It has come to our attention that Minister Kemayah holds an A2 U.S. visa, as verified by FrontPageAfrica.

The A-2 visa is designated for full-time foreign government employees engaged in official business on behalf of their respective countries at U.S. embassies, consulates, missions, or military bases while on temporary duty (TDY) status.

Our investigations revealed that Minister Kemayah had an emergency medical appointment at the London Clinic in the United Kingdom, an urgent matter that could not be postponed.

In response to his unavailability at the United Nations and scheduled meetings, Minister Kemayah proactively communicated with the United States Embassy in Monrovia. He apprised the Embassy of his situation and notified them of his inability to attend the UN engagements. Furthermore, Minister Kemayah requested the Deputy Foreign Minister for Administration, Hon. Thelma E. Duncan-Sawyer, to represent him at these meetings and deliver his address in his stead.

The September 18 Note Verbal to the U.S. Embassy in Monrovia reads:

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Liberia presents its compliments to the Embassy of the United States of America near Monrovia, and has the honor to reference the 78^th Session of the United Nations General Assembly and other U.S. Government-related meetings, H.E. Amb. Dee-Maxwell Saah Kemayah, Sr., Minister of Foreign Affairs and Dean of the Cabinet of the Republic of Liberia is expected to attend from September 15-23, 2023 in New York, United States of America.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Liberia has the honor to inform that due to unavoidable pressing emergency engagements in London, United Kingdom, H.E. Amb. Dee-Maxwell Saah Kemayah, Sr., Minister of Foreign Affairs and Dean of the Cabinet of the Republic of Liberia is unable to attend the 78^th Session of the United Nations General Assembly and other U.S. Government-related meetings.

In view of the above-mentioned, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Liberia is pleased to inform that Hon. Thelma E. Duncan-Sawyer, Deputy Minister for Administration at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, who is accordingly heading the Delegation of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to the 78th UNGA, has been designated to represent Foreign Minister Kemayah at all activities of the aforementioned 78^th UNGA and U.S. Government related Meetings requiring his presence; respectively.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Liberia avails itself of this opportunity to renew to the Embassy of the United States near Monrovia the assurances of its highest consideration.