Filed in by Olando Testimony Zeongar – 0776819983/0880-361116/life2short4some@yahoo.com
Monrovia – Amid multiple versions and contradictory accounts from officials of government regarding billions of Liberian Dollar banknotes that have allegedly gone missing, the chairman of the lead party in a tripartite merger that metamorphosed into the ruling Coalition for Democratic Change (CDC), the Congress for Democratic Change, Mulbah K. Morlu, Jr., has said he knows what happened to the money.
In August, it was reported that containers containing bags of money in the tune of some 16 billion Liberian Dollars had disappeared in thin air.
In mid September, in a Voice Of America (VOA) radio interview, Information Minister and government official spokesperson, Len Eugene Nagbe, said the George Weah-led government was not in the know about the ‘missing billions’ in Liberian currency.
According to Minister Nagbe, prior to Weah taking over as president, a batch of banknotes was brought into the country in November 2017.
Said Nagbe at the time: “Now, when the president received information about these newly-printed banknotes, he sanctioned an investigation, which is being chaired by the Ministry of Justice, the Financial Intelligence Unit (FIU), and other security apparatus. The idea is to understand how much money came into the country, how much was ordered, how much was printed, which country printed the money, and how did it affect the country’s foreign exchange situation.”
He added, “We can confirm that the money was brought through the Freeport of Monrovia and the Roberts International Airport and for now we can confirm that the amount was L$16 billion. An estimate of a little over US$60 million, as far as we are concerned from ongoing investigation, came in the two ports of entry.”
‘Tweah’s narrative’
Few days after, in a phone-in session with a local radio station, Finance Minister Samuel Tweah gave another narrative of the ‘missing money’ hassle, that contradicted Information Minister Nabge’s previous assertions.
Tweah, who described Nagbe’s assertions as being immaterial, on 20 September, told OK FM, a local radio station, that “no money was missing from the government’s coffers”, a statement that ignited outrage in many quarters and stirred up discontent among Liberians both at home and abroad.
Minister Tweah, who slammed the media with misinforming Liberians, regarding the ‘missing billions’ saga, then called on the public to listen to him on matters concerning the huge chuck of of ‘missing’ banknotes, that is approximately 4.75 percent of Liberia’s GDP (Gross Domestic Product – which is a monetary measure of the market value of all the final goods and services produced in a period of time, often annually or quarterly. Nominal GDP estimates are commonly used to determine the economic performance of a whole country or region, and to make international comparisons).
‘The Patray’s account’
But, barely had Tweah’s call to listen to him begun to sink down the ears of Liberians, when another official of government, Central Bank of Liberia (CBL) governor, Nathailel Patray, too, insinuated that he was instead the one to be listened to regarding the ‘missing billions’ rigmarole, when he told a well-attended press conference Tuesday, that the money in question was untouched and safely stacked away in the reserve vaults of the CBL.
“There is no such record shown that such money has not yet been delivered to the CBL. All the money is in the vault,” Governor Patray said.
He continued, “The CBL wants to clarify to the general public and partner in progress that there is no L$16 billion missing, as has been erroneously reported in the media,” adding, “The CBL has no records showing that the monies printed under its authority have not yet been delivered into its reserve vaults. Record from the Crane Currency of Sweden, which was contracted to print the money, shows that the Crane delivered 15.5 billion through the Freeport and RIA between 2016 and 2018 and that all these monies were logged by the CBL and delivered into the reserves vaults of the CBL.”
Howbeit, Patray’s a account of the ‘missing billions’, appears to be yet another contradiction of the facts surrounding the imbroglio that has engulfed the country regarding this episode, as CDC chair Morlu has said that other than the CBL reserve vaults, he knows exactly where the ‘missing money’ was taken.
Sufficient reasons abound for Patray and the CBL’s rather belated account given on the ‘missing’ bulks to be dismissed, according to sources, who told PUNCH Thursday, that the CBL statement and eleventh-hour action to drop charges against some 30 employees of the Bank is a move intended to get back in good books with the U.S. Federal Reserve System, which had earlier put a freeze on transaction with the CBL regarding the growing fuss over some ‘missing billions’ of Liberian banknotes.
According to our sources, the U.S. Federal Reserve System is concerned about media reports, both locally and internationally, on the ‘missing money’, with the Federal Reserve System of the U.S. being particularly concerned about CBL deputy governor Charle Sirleaf’s name being among several other Bank employees restricted by the Monrovia City Court from traveling.
Sirleaf, as deputy governor has oversight responsibility over CBL’s Finance, Banking and General Services Departments, with sources intimating that with such authority, his signature plays a pivotal role in the Bank’s handling of all major foreign transfer payments – with this, our sources indicated that the U.S. Federal Reserve System does not find it professionally prudent transacting with the Central Bank of Liberia, since the travel ban on Sirleaf creates a void as far as dealing with Liberia’s legitimate signatory is concerned.
‘Where are the containers loaded with bags of money?’
While Patray and the CBL may or may not be double-dealing regarding the ‘missing money’, PUNCH has seen a video in which CDC chairman Morlu has expressly indicated that he knows what happened to the money and where exactly the ‘missing billions’ in Liberian currency were taken, contrary to the CBL governor’s claims.
“… I know what happened to the money,” said Morlu, who explained that the container loaded with tons of Liberian currency ended up at the vault of the National Housing and Savings Bank (NHSB), downtown Waterside, instead of the Central Bank of Liberia, as governor Patray had made Liberians to believe at his Tuesday press conference.
“if I were asked to testify in this saga, I would have asked the Central Bank governor, how come a whole container loaded of Liberian Dollars is said to have ended up at the vault of the National Housing and Savings Bank,” said Morlu, in a very loud voice.
According to the ruling party chairman, once the controversial ‘missing money’ was taken at the NHSB, pick-up trucks were driven there under the cover of darkness and were uploaded and taken to personal homes, during the campaign period of Liberia’s most recent presidential and representatives elections, when Weah had not assumed the presidency.
“I believe that Charles Sirleaf has a story to tell,” said Morlu, whose only reason for suspecting Charles, one of four sons of ex-president Ellen Sirleaf, is that he plays what he (Morlu) calls a pivotal role at the CBL.
“There will be no sacred cow,” said Morlu, stating further, “Those in my view that are the biggest suspects in the missing money saga are governors and leaders in the former ruling Unity Party government.”
He accused governors of the CBL under the former regime of ex-president Sirleaf, of being responsible for the ‘missing billions,’ saying they are the ones who should be held accountable for the tons of ‘missing Liberian Dollars.
