Filed in by Olando Testimony Zeongar – 0776819983/0880-361116/life2short4some@yahoo.com
MONROVIA, Liberia – History, it is said, has a way of repeating itself, as the aftermath of the long-awaited report for the ‘missing’ 16 billion in Liberian currencies, is beginning to see the George Weah-led government proceed in the exact manner as did the retired footballer’s predecessor, the politically ingenious ex-president Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf, who to a larger extent charted the course of selective justice in her fight against corruption.
The US Government sponsored investigative report compiled by the international audit firm, Kroll Associates Incorporated (Kroll), hired to probe allegations of the disappearance of missing containers containing billions of Liberian dollar banknotes and US$25 million intended to mop up excess liquidity from the local economy, was released Thursday, with Kroll reporting that it found no information to support allegations that a container of banknotes went missing.
However, Kroll raises concerns regarding the overall accuracy and completeness of the Central Bank of Liberia (CBL) internal records, with the group detecting systemic and procedural weaknesses at the CBL, and shortcomings in the country’s fiscal and monetary management processes which the audit firm said dates far back and is ongoing to date.
In the case of the US$25 million, which Minister of Finance Samuel D. Tweah had earlier confessed to distributing a substantial portion to some unidentified money changers, the Kroll report indicates that the intended mopping up exercise was undertaken by the CBL without a clearly documented strategy.
“Kroll’s independent counts of the physical cash balances in each of the CBL’s three operational vaults could not be reconciled with the CBL’s corresponding financial accounting records,” the report stresses.
Howbeit, minutes after the report was made public, police stormed the CBL, arrested and handcuffed three bank officials including the son of former president Sirleaf, Charles Sirleaf, who is CBL’s deputy governor for operations.
The trio reportedly spent the night in police custody, in central Monrovia, the capital, without being charged with any offense, although it is highly likely they were arrested in connection to the billions of Liberian dollar bank notes saga.
“Corruption – public enemy #1”
Like President Weah, who vowed to root out corruption from public service, when the former football star was sworn into office at the SKD football stadium on 22 January last year, his predecessor Sirleaf came to power in 2006, promising in her inaugural speech, to make corruption public enemy number one. To that end, Liberia and Africa’s first democratically elected female head of state and her administration unsealed indictments for some officials who had previously served in the erstwhile National Transitional Government (NTGL) including NTGL Chairman Charles Gyude Bryant (now deceased).
The indicted government officials, some former while others were still in public service, were accused of rampant corruption, and charged with economic sabotage, with Madam Sirleaf then wanting the world to know that she was committed to fighting the menace.
Monrovia soon became a ghost town after news broke out that police, under the leadership of Sirleaf’s female police chief Col. Beatrice Munah Sieh, had barricaded the home of the former Liberian leader, Bryant.
Bryant, under heavy police escort, was taken to his prison cell at the notorious Monrovia Central Prison at South Beach, where prison guards disgracefully removed his belt, and other personal effect.
At the time, many were made to believe it was a show of strong resolve by then President Sirleaf, but sadly, the fight was later to be known as a war waged only against former government officials and individuals distance away from the proximity of the presidency, as the fight against corruption during the latter days of the Sirleaf regime became a “vampire” for her and an unbearable national catastrophe for many Liberians.
Although she managed to have sent former NPA boss Matilda Parker to court, asked former Minister of Information, Rev. Dr. Larry Bropleh( recently appointed by Weah as special envoy and advisor to the president) to cut short his trip in China and return to the country to answer to allegations of corruption, as well as to have put Dr. Broppleh’s senior brother, former LTA chairperson Albert Bropleh behind bars, many including the current president, when he was an opposition leader, accused Sirleaf of not prosecuting her “untouchables” including her “favorite” son, Robert Sirleaf.
Just before Sirleaf left office, damning reports emerged of the Sable Mining debacle released by Global Witness (Big Boy One and Big Boy Two). As a result of huge pressure, a few arrests were made including the Speaker of the House of Representatives then Alex Tyler and President Sirleaf’s former party chairman Varney Sherman (both believed to have been critical of the President).
They were also prosecuted by a special Presidential task-force, similar to what is unfolding now under Weah, as the CDC-led government has already slammed three persons behind bars, even though the Kroll’s report says no money got missing.
‘Like Ellen, like Weah’
Like when the Sirleaf administration launched its selective justice corruption fight, and several Liberians were jubilating, terming the move at the time as a bold fight regardless of who were involved whilst some others criticized the move, calling it a targeted witch-hunt, the Weah-led government in the wake of 16 billion saga have moved swiftly to arrest few persons that are far away from his real supporters in government – indeed, years after the Sirleaf selected justice corruption war, the same story unfolds but with different characters.
President Weah assumed the mantle of authority promising to deal drastically with corruption, but months later, the world woke up to the biggest scandal reported in the history of Liberia prompting protests and the call for investigation.
Weah, himself, is suspected of building private houses in his first year with allegations rife that the former World Best footballer is on a spree of construction of private homes with public resources.
Following public outcry President Weah declared his assets almost under the cover of darkness, six months in his administration, to the General Auditing Commission (GAC). To date, his assets have not been made public.
Like Sirleaf, Weah, in connection with the 16 billion Liberian dollars saga, has handcuffed and jailed two former government officials including the son of the former president, while his trusted confidant and minister of finance Samuel Tweah’s fate hangs in the balance as both the Kroll’s report and another released by a special presidential taskforce on the same day, point to huge discrepancies in the US$25 million mopping up exercise led by Mr. Tweah.
As the drama unfolds, the world is watching, and Liberians are eager to see what the Weah-led government does in the days following the release of the damning corruption reports.
Patrick Honnah contributed to this report.
