Amidst Pres. Weah's Shakeup in Gov't: Heartbreak at LACC Over Cllr. Edwin Martin Renomination

Amidst Pres. Weah’s Shakeup in Gov’t: Heartbreak at LACC Over Cllr. Edwin Martin Renomination

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Amidst Pres. Weah’s Shakeup in Gov’t: Heartbreak at LACC Over Cllr. Edwin Martin Renomination

IPNEWS: It’s five months since President George Manneh Weah accepted the resignation of former Chairperson, Liberia Anti-Corruption Commission’s Chairperson, Cllr. A. Ndubusi Nwabudike.

In his acceptance, the Executive Mansion said, “Pres. Weah received the resignation and thanked the LACC’s Boss for his service to the Country”.

Liberia CSOs Anti-Corruption Coalition Executive Director James Koryor (left) and Cllr. A. Ndubuisi Nwabudike, Liberia Anti-Corruption Commission head

Cllr. Nwabudike’s resignation took effect on February 26, 2021, and saw the entry of an young bluff-boy, as acting executive chairperson of the Liberia Anti-Corruption Commission (LACC), Cllr. Kanio Bai Gbala, Chris-crossing into neighboring Sierra Leone declaring that Liberia’s 2021 Transparency heights in 2022, in concert with International anti-corruption index.

Cllr. Nwabudikie, was appointed LACC’s Chairperson in October 2019 having previously served as the Governance Commission’s Chairperson in 2018.

Cllr. Nwabudike battled series pressures to maintain the chairmanship of the LACC.

The Senate plenary voted unanimously for his removal from the LACC, after a complaint was filed by Montserrado County Senator Abraham Darius Dillon reminding his colleagues about the “illegitimacy” of Cllr. Nwabudike as head of the LACC which he argues is constitutionally meant for born or naturalized citizens to occupy.

In his letter of resignation dated January 27, 2021, Counselor Nwabudike’s thanked President Weah for allowing him to serve his Country.

“The monumental progress made by the Government in the fight against corruption, both in the public and private sectors, is being marred by the public debate of my personality rather than what contribution I can make towards the economic development of our country”, Cllr. Nwabudike said in his letter of resignation.

Continuing, the LACC’s former Executive Chairman said, “it does not serve the overall strategic interest of your government and our people if I were to constitute a distraction from the national agenda that your government is poised to deliver to our people in the next three years of the Pro-Poor Agenda for Prosperity and Development (PAPD).”

As part of his service to Liberia, he worked with and led a five-member team comprising counsellors and prominent Liberians on a Special Presidential Committee to examine allegations made by Global Witness in its report involving the National Oil Company of Liberia (NOCAL). Before this, he also served as “Special Investigator” looking into the usage and misappropriations of donor funds in the agriculture sector (Ministry of Agriculture) 2017.

Upon taking over as acting Executive Director, buff- boy Gbala, soon jump started his transparency doctrine.

Speaking on the sidelines of the Governance and Transparency sector at the ninth edition of the European Union (EU)-Liberia Political Dialogue, Cllr. Gbala revealed that there are many measures to be taken under his leadership at the LACC in tackling corruption and ensuring Liberia favorably reported at next year’s 2022 governance meeting.

Cllr. Gbala outlined some of the measures as ‘improving the legal framework for fighting corruption, forging innovative partnerships with civil society organizations, securing convictions for corrupt acts at the Supreme Court and fostering an environment of openness when engaging with the public’.

On the improvement of the legal environment, Cllr. Gbala averred that the LACC had concluded draft legislation seeking to establish a fast-track corruption court, remove the statute of limitations for acts of corruption as well as obtain exclusive jurisdiction for the prosecution of corrupt acts.

Cllr. Gbala further explained that removing the statute of limitations for corrupt acts would be a groundbreaking move by the George Weah-led government as it would ensure that no matter how much time passed, acts of corruption will still be tried in courts of competent jurisdiction.
The EU-Liberia Political Dialogues was a result of article eight of the Cotonou Partnership Agreement, which calls for regular developmental and political dialogue between the EU and African states’.

Now to his surprise, the Liberian leader on Monday, June 14, 2021, at 2:00 P.M., axed him as acting chairperson, LACC, replacing him with Cllr. Edwin Klah Martin, as Chairperson, Liberia Anti-Corruption Commission.

The Liberian president George Weah also appointed at National Human Rights Commission

Cllr. Dempster Brown Chairperson

Atty. Pela Boker Wilson Commissioner

Cllr. Charles Kear Harris Commissioner

Atty. Mohammed E. Fahnbulleh Commissioner

Mr. Pindarous W. T. Allison Commissioner

National Commission on Higher Education

Dr. Micheal Sleweon Director General.

Ministry of Commerce & Industry

Angel R. Banda Assistant Minister/Small Medium Business

Ministry of Labor

Ruth Baryogar Assistant Minister/Manpower Development

Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA)

Dave Zackely Deputy Director General for Administration

Mittal Steel Parent Company

Thomas Grupee Board Member

Ministry of Transport

Gertrude J. D. Williams Assistant Minister/Administration

Liberia Maritime Authority-Foreign

Emmanuel Reeves Senior Deputy Commissioner-Finance

Margaret Ansumana Senior Deputy Commissioner-Legal

Joseph Nimley Toe Deputy Commissioner-Registration.

General Auditing Commission

P. Garwa Jackson Auditor General

Central Bank of Liberia

J. Alyosius Tarlue Jr. Executive Governor (reappoint)

Dr. Musa Dukuly Deputy Governor/Economics Policy (reappoint)

Ministry of Agriculture

Lealea Andrews Deputy Minister/Technical Services

Civil Service Agency

Onika Smythe Jackson Deputy Director for Human Resource Management & Policy

Governance Commission

D. Karn Karlor Commissioner for National Integrity Systems

Liberia Refugee Repatriation and Resettlement Commission

Aretha M. B. Divine Deputy Executive Director-Administration

National Commission on Disabilities

Daintowon Domah Pay-Bayee Chairperson

Liberia Broadcasting System

Tetee Gebro Deputy Director-General/Administration

Sorbor George Deputy Director-Broadcasting

Jallah Grayfield Deputy Director-Public Affairs

Tapenty Young Deputy Director-Technical Operations

It may be recalled, on March 25, 2020, the Center for Transparency and Accountability in Liberia (CENTAL) registered its disappointment over the appointments of Cllr. Edwin Klah Martin, to the Liberia Anti-Corruption Commission (LACC).

At a news Conference on Wednesday March 25, 2020, the CENTAL’s Executive Director Anderson Miamen said the president violated the act establishing the LACC by nominating Cllr. Edwin Kla Martin as Executive Chairperson of the LACC.

According to him article 6.2 of the anti-graph institution on nomination of commissioners provides that the President may involve Civil Society Groups pursuant to partnership between the Government and the CSO in the effective fight against Corruption.

Additionally, he also pointed out 6.1 of the same act of the LACC that again the President violated stating that no two commissioners shall come from the same County of origin something he noted is now the case of Cllr. Edwin Kla Martin who according to CENTAL’s investigation hailed from Pleebo Maryland County including Cllr. Aba Hamilton Dolo who also come from Maryland County respectively, this he noted is a completion violation of the act that establishes the LACC as such the president should revisit his nomination in the best interest of upholding to the Constitution of the Country which he has pledged over the period to respect, protect and defend at all times.

Mr. Miamen requested the president especially in appointing key individuals to integrity institutions to fully involve the Civil Society Groups and partners for the sake of best practices and transparency as well.

The move he noted is to ensure that the public have confidence and trust in the activities of integrity institutions in Liberia.

However, the CENTAL boss stressed that the continuous appointment of individuals to key integrity institutions by President Weah without the full involvement of CSO’s and partners undermine the fight against corruption in the Country.