IPNews-Monrovia: It is now over a year since FiFA sanctioned Musa Bility, the self-proclaimed richest Liberian man.

The comment of being Liberia’s richest man sparked debates across Liberia’s capital, With some leveling blames on Liberians for failing to named and shamed corrupt Public officials thus creating a vicious cycle of corruption in Liberia.

Others are off the view that if Liberians fail to continuously hold public officials accountable, the country’s financial coffers will continue to bleed.

Musa Bility since his election as Chairman of the Liberty Party-LP, he has come under sharpe criticisms for his role played while at the Liberia Football Association-LFA, especially in the management of the FiFA gold projects and the Ebola funds.

Now the Liberty Party, which was once considered a “party of integrity” in Liberia, has received barrage of criticism and condemnations minutes after it elected Musa Bility as its new Chairman.

Critics made specific reference to the ban placed on Bility at the time he served as executive committee member of the Confederation of African Football (Caf), and accusation linking him to the squandering of funds intended for the resettlement of scores of citizens in Nimba County following the conclusion of a land dispute in 2013, among others .

Bility was banned by football governing body Fifa for 10 years and fined him $500,000 for breaching its code of ethics.

He was found “guilty of having misappropriated Fifa funds, as well as having received benefits and found himself in situations of conflict of interest”. Fifa said it has been investigating the 52-year-old since May 2018 following a forensic audit of the LFA.

The misappropriation of Fifa funds at the time was in relation to those granted under the global body’s “11 against Ebola” campaign and as part of its Financial Assistance Programme. Liberia was one of three west African countries affected by an outbreak of Ebola between 2013 and 2016, when more than 10,000 people lost their lives.

Now within a week since the controverial Liberity Party Chairman Musa Bility, has now put on display dozens flurry of new vehicles branded LP unveiled at the party’s headquarters, yesterday, Monday, February 1, 2021, in an apparent show contrary to public perception that he is financially broke.

Conservatives have criticized the Liberty Party for hailing the personal donation of Mr Bility to the party, in the face of mounting public criticisms of his corrupt posture.

“Good donation, but a bad culture. If we seek power and are committed to our political parties, then we must be willing to contribute our dollars and not leave that burden on the leaders alone. ”

“We must also question the source of Musa Bility lavish spending or be a party that lacks integrity.”

“Where is Bility sourcing these pickups from? Do the LP care to know, or are these dirty monies being whitewashed on political party donations. Is it time that dirty money continued to taint the Liberty Party?”

“Liberty Party members must ask the hard
questions because, political businessmen do not do free good. And the saying goes: there is no free lunch. We must be wiser.” An Executive of the Liberty Party not wanting his name called narrates to IPNews.

Bility, who is the owner of Truth FM 96.1, Real TV and Srimex, replaces Lofa County Senator Steve Zargo who resigned from the LP barely few days to the conduct of the party’s convention.

The LP is one of the political parties that make up the CPP. Other parties that form part of the CPP include: the former ruling Unity Party (UP), Alternative National Congress (ANC), and the All Liberian Party (ALP).

Bility, former President of the Liberia Football Association (LFA) was elected to steer the affairs of the opposition Liberty Party at its just ended controversial convention, held in Gbarnga, Bong County on January 23, 2021.

Musa Bility Net Worth, Earning, Asset
Yearly Expenses (2019) $3.5 Million – $4 Million

Meanwhile, report reaching IPNews says embattled Chairman, Liberia Anti-Curruption-LACC, Cllr. Austin Ndubuisi Nwabudike, has ordered an investigation into acts of corruption allegedly committed by current Liberty Party Chairman, Musa Bility, while he served as Boss of the Liberia Football Association.

In a memo caption “Classified”, dated January 27, 2021, addressed to LACC chief investigator, a copy which was obtained by IPNews, orders the investigation into alleged financial improprieties of the LFA from 2006-2019.

Portion of the communication addressed to Atty. Marc N. Kollie, Chief Investigator, Investigation Division, read: ” Pursuant to the provision of the statue creating the Lineria Anti-corruption Commission,LACC, and in keeping with the desire goal of the government of Liberia to maintained transparency and accountability, in the oubkic sector, the office of Complaints and Investigations, is hereby order to investigate alleged financial improprieties at the Liberia Football Association-LFA, from the periods of July 2006-July 2019.”

The Liberian Football executive has been found guilty of misappropriating FIFA funds, offering and accepting gifts and other benefits and conflicts of interest.

He has also been fined CHF500,000 (£407,000/$507,000,€455,000) by the adjudicatory chamber of FIFA’s Ethics Committee after an investigation was opened on May 18 of last year.

His ban came into force since July 22, 2019, after his pledge to go over FIFA’s intervention into African football.

FIFA has effectively taken over on the continent after a series of scandals, with secretary general Fatma Samoura appointed as “FIFA General Delegate for Africa”.

Bility, a former President of the Liberia Football Association (LFA), is said to have misappropriated funds to entities owned by him or connected to his family.

This includes money from the “11 against Ebola” campaign, launched by FIFA in 2014 to help combat the spread of the deadly disease across Liberia and the rest of West Africa.

It featured top players such as Cristiano Ronaldo and Neymar who promoted preventative measures which can help against the virus.

Funds from FIFA Financial Assistance Programmes, received by the LFA in 2015, and other payments were also said to have been diverted.

The 52-year-old, who was barred from standing for FIFA President in 2015 after serving a six-month ban two years earlier for improper use of confidential documents, has been a vocal critic of the cooperation agreement between the global body and the Confederation of African Football (CAF).

FIFA’s move is unprecedented but is said to have been almost unanimously accepted by the CAF’s Executive Committee.

However Bility, who was himself a CAF Executive Board member, said he was seeking to render the agreement “null and void” at the CAS.