By:Yamah S. Davies
IPNews-Monrovia: The Liberia Anti-Corruption Commission says it is frustrated over efforts to probe one million United States Dollars in cash allegedly stolen from the bank accounts of former Central Bank of Liberia deputy governer Charles Sirleaf.
LACC stated that request from its team of investigators to investigate the accounts that have been subject to recent theft has met stiff resistance according to a local newspaper.
“Only Mr. Sirleaf can grant permission for investigators to examine the affected transactions to determine the movement of money therein”, one GT Bank staff told Newsmen.
Recently police document from the alleged stolen money probe made public on Tuesday, September 15, 2020, suggests Charles Sirleaf,the son of ex-president Ellen Johnson Sirleaf made be richer than his mother. The former president son is now seeking justice for nearly US$1million cash stolen from his bank accounts.
Charles was amongst several Central bankers prosecuted and recently acquitted for alleged roles in the infamous missing L$16billion Liberian dollars.
Between April 23- May 25, Mr. Sirleaf’s lawyer reported to the police that eight hundred and eighty six thousand five eighty United States dollars(US$886,580) and ten million four hundred and eighty thousand Liberian dollars (L$10,480,000) were made from his salary and saving accounts at the Guaranty Trust Bank (GT-Bank) in Monrovia.
His checking account titled Bojelene Guest House Incorporated was also affected with a one-time US$100,000 withdrawal. These withdrawals, Sirleaf argued were made without his expressed authorization.
Police investigation shows the money was actually stolen from his accounts as reported in 2017, when his mother, former president Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf was still president.
“The investigation has herewith charged Guaranty Trust Bank by and thru it’s management with misapplication of entrusted property in violation of Chapter 15, Section 15.56 in the amount of US$850,500 and L$10,480,000 respectively,”
“This is predicated upon the ground that the account holders (Mr. & Mrs. Sirleaf) entrusted their cash into the care/custody of the banknot its employees and that some of their deposits made over the period were misapplied”. Police charged sheet revealed. (Courtesy of New Democrat Newspaper,Liberia)
