When the history of the Liberian presidency is written, President George Manneh Oppong Weah’s tenure would surely go down as an “accident”. Mr. Weah is Liberia’s 25th president, but he’s the least political leader in terms of performance the country has produced in recent record. Before his election in 2017 as President, Mr. Weah served Montserrado, Liberia’s most populated county as senator, but his presence in the senate was rarely felt. Also, within the period of six months of his presidency, Mr. Weah commenced renovation work on his once dilapidated Jamaica Resort situated on the RIA Highway. The CDC administration is known for cherry picking when enforcing the rule of law, or prosecuting cases of alleged corruption.

FrontPageAfrica gathered from some of the witnesses (names withheld) J. Adolphus Karnuah that they would not testify as long as Cllr. Defendant Sampson Pennue has pleaded not guilty to the crime of murder and he is currently enjoying a bail granted him despite being indicted with a capital offense. How He Got BailedDefendant Pennue was surprisingly released on bail despite being indicted for a capital offense on ground that the evidence in the murder case was not very strong. However, in the Pennue case, after Sikajipo A. Wollo granted Pennue a bail, Associate Justice Pennue said he was not in error, thereby, sustaining Judge Wollo’s ruling admitting Pennue to bail. Judicial pundits believe his request for bench trial is because he knows that the judge who admitted him to bail on grounds that the evidence was not strong for the murder case could acquit him.

Monrovia – The Liberia Anti-Corruption Commission (LACC) has announced that it has placed under investigation, its Vice Chairperson, Cllr. Kanio Bai Gbala over allegations linking him to a conflict of interest saga at the Freeport of Monrovia. Bai Gbala and other high profile government officials to the alleged corruption saga at the Port of Buchanan. A source within the Freeport of Monrovia, speaking on condition of anonymity informed FPA: “Bill Tweahway has 60% share in the company, Cllr. I wish to state for the records that neither the Managing Director of the National Port Authority Hon.

FrontPageAfrica also has in its possession invoices and receipts in the name of CDI dating up to July 2021. The National Port Authority (NPA) has denied reports of its Managing Director, Bill Tweahway, having shares in Creative Developers Inc. – the company that has an MOU with the NPA for handling services. FrontPageAfrica gathered from reliable sources within the NPA that Mr. Tweahway owns 60% shares in the company. However, the NPA through its Public Relations Director Malcolm Scott sharply reacted to the report. He noted that NPA will not be deterred by claims and counter claims including side attacks any employees or former employees of the Port.

MONROVIA – Two senior staff in the office of Montserrado County Senator Darius Dillon have sent in their letters of resignation – with both stating reasons ranging from policy differences, professional, and personal reasons. For Mr. Plackie, his resignation, according to him, is motivated by personal and professional reasons coupled with policy differences on issues of national concerns. Senator Dillon has in recent days been in the news for all the wrong reasons. Senator Dillon, who proclaims to be the ‘Light of the Senate”, posted screenshots of his original economy class ticket from Monrovia to New York. In response to those criticisms, Senator Dillon on his official Facebook page backed Bility, stating a biblical reference with a hope that Bility was now a changed person.

Mr. Schroeder said improving Liberia’s TVET sector is as important as improving all other development sectors of the country. He added that t establishment of a National TVET Center will contribute to job creation for young people and establish a performance based vocational training system in Liberia. Also speaking at the Private Sector TVET Day, Acting Public Works Minister Ruth Cooker-Collins described the project as a huge boast for Liberia TVET sector and the young people. Representatives at the Private Sector TVET Day, organized by the GIZ were drawn from entities involved with technical and vocational activities. Both winners are citizens of Bentol City of Bensonville, Montserrado County, and proposed venue for construction of the National TVET Center to be known as the Gateway Vocational Training Center.

According to Mr. Cyrus, the construction of the facility is the Cyrus’ family way of giving back to underprivileged and disadvantaged communities in order to strengthen their capacities. Mr. Cyrus expressed hope that the dormitory will help and ensure that people who are visually impaired achieved their desired goals. “We want to ensure that our people who are visually impaired get the best facilities comparable to people with visual,” Mr. Cyrus told the gathering at the ground breaking ceremony in Voinjama, the county’s capitol. Mr. Soribah said it is great to provide learning opportunity for the visually impaired especially for the children who are not going to school. “We are glad that Mr. Cyrus is able to think about people who are visually impaired and to give them access to dormitory for the benefit of the children,” he said.

MONROVIA – The Global Partnership for Education (GPE) founded project through the United Nation Children’s Fund (UNICEF) have donated four new Toyota Hilux to the Ministry of Education to enhance the ministry’s outreach and monitoring activities in various counties of Liberia. He furthered that “education is in the field and not in the building occupied by the Ministry,” thereby stressing the need for more support at the ministry. The Liberian education minister expressed sadness over individual occupying county office at the Ministry of education using their salary to inspect schools in the country. He assured GPE and UNICEF that the vehicles will be used for its intended purpose. “These vehicles will go a long way by contributing greatly to the monitoring sector at the Ministry of education in delivering education to those most in need in Liberia.”

According to the GAC, issues of non-compliance to the terms of the service contract were identified, but in its conclusion, those issues do not amount to fraud. The procurement method used was a Consultant Direct Selection(CDS), which was approved (No Objection) by the World Bank. The LWSC Management obtained a no objection from the World Bank to award the contract to Hydroconseil,” the GAC reports. The widespread reports of the US$99,000.00 alleged misappropriation were said to have been fueled by the suspended Deputy Managing Director for Finance at the LWSC, Sencee J. Morris. With the vindication of the suspended LWSC MD by the GAC’s Special Investigative Audit, pundits say the lifting of his suspension by the President is imminent.

MONROVIA – Barely days after turning over the chairmanship of the West African Bureau of the Association of African Central Bank Governors to the Governor of the Central Bank of Guinea, Executive Governor J. Aloysius Tarlue, Jr. of the Central Bank of Liberia was preferred as Chairman of the Committee of Governors of the West African Monetary Zone (WAMZ), taking over the gavel of authority from Prof. Kelfala M. Kallon, Governor of the Bank of Sierra Leone. Executive Governor Tarlue’s ascendancy to the chairmanship of the Committee of Governors of West African Monetary Zone (WAMZ) brings to two, the number of regional economic bodies that he currently chairs, including the Committee of Governors of ECOWAS Member States of West African Monetary Agency (WAMA). In his keynote address, Executive Governor Tarlue updated his colleagues about the adverse economic effects of COVID-19 within the West African Monetary Zone and the policy measures pursued to help reverse the situation. According to Executive Governor Tarlue, the timeline for the roadmap has now been extended from 2021 to 2027, at which time the West African single currency will be launched. A New Central Bank Developmental RoleExecutive Governor Tarlue urged his fellow central bank governors to consider a potential new central bank role of financing structural and developmental initiatives, with a view to diversifying revenue sources and minimizing the periodic pressures on monetary policy.

Kanio Bai Gbala, Vice Chairman of the Liberia Anti-Corruption Commission (LACC), has requested a one-month leave of absence following a FrontPageAfrica investigation that uncovered his alleged conflict of interest and corruption at the National Port Authority. Gbala, the Managing Director of the National Port Authority and others established a company with the sole purpose of awarding the handling services contract at the Port of Buchanan to the company. According to the source, “Bill Tweahway has 60% share in the company, Cllr. Kanio Bai-Gbala was given 10% share, Deputy Comptroller Christian Brownell was given 15% share; while Hamed Sidiki Fofana was given 15% share. Mr. Tweahway did not respond to FPA’s inquiry while Mr. Fofana and Brownell could not be reached up to press time for comments.

PRESIDENT TOLBERT dismissed Min. A SUSPENSION tells the Liberian people that Ms. Keita could be call back at work with such tainted record. AS IT IS, ANTI-GRAFT institutions are under-funded and to some extent lack the needed expertise to fight corruption. HOWEVER, even in the midst of all the needed resources to root out corruption, it would be impossible to fight the menace in the absence of a strong political will. PRESIDENT WEAH’s fight against corruption will continue to be a farce until he begins to take decisive and uncompromising actions against reports of corruptions by public officials.

MONROVIA – FrontPageAfrica has obtained documents that suggest that the co-chair of the Liberia Anti-Corruption Commission (LACC), Cllr. Kanio Bai Gbala, is allegedly involved in the corruption web at the Port of Buchanan; as the Managing Director and Deputy Comptroller of the National Port Authority are expected to face the anti-graft house on Tuesday for questioning. CDI, according to the MOU, is responsible for performing log-handling services on behalf of the NPA within the port of Buchanan, Grand Bassa County. CDI is also responsible to discharge logs from or load logs to vessels within the Port of Buchanan. The breaking down of the machine began to cause embarrassment for the port in Buchanan and the shippers began to file protest.

ALEXANDER CUMMINGS: “We are competing for the leadership of the CPP. If we followed the process we have agreed and the outcome is that somebody else, if it is former Vice President Joe Boakai wins the domination, I will support. Mr. Urey is on record for disclosing his preference for former Vice President Joseph Boakai. He at the same time said he will be willing to support former vice president Boakai should he win the primary. If we followed the process we have agreed and the outcome is that somebody else, if it is former Vice President Joe Boakai wins the domination, I will support.

Monrovia – Smiles could not cease from the faces of Waterside fire disaster victims as they were presented cash of US$100,000 by the government of Liberia towards the restructuring of their businesses and the reconstruction of their homes. Few days after the tragedy incident, President George Weah met with victims to console them. Mayor Koijee also turned over the money to the Executive Director of the National Disaster Management Agency Mr. Henry O. Williams. Koijee at the same time called the National Disaster Management Agency to provide supervision over the distribution process of the money. We pray that God gives you wisdom to lead this country.”Mr. Barry also praised the Liberia National Fire Service, the Liberia National Police including the Monrovia City Police for their quick response in putting the situation under control.