Voting on the record Wednesday, 17 Senators voted to reject nominee Karnley, one voted in favor, while five Senators abstained.
In its report to Plenary, the Committee acknowledged that the nominee lacked the requisite academic qualifications and experience to provide supervision over the LAA, especially the Roberts International Airport (RIA) has drawled the attention of the public in recent months.
The Committee further indicated the Airport needs a Managing Director that has the academic qualifications and experience to handle the structural management crisis at the RIA. As such, the Committee believes that nominee Karnley is not suitable for said position.
Following the vote, Sinoe County Senator J. Milton Teahjay filed a motion for reconsideration, to be tried in three session day. But said motion was in minutes withdrawn by the Sinoe County Senator on grounds that he is unable to obtain the numbers to overturn the majority decision.
It may be recalled, on August 22, 2022, the Senate floor was a scene of laughter and uneasiness when the Roberts International Airport Managing Director Designate Mr. Darlington karnley, shamelessly denied obtaining a master’s degree in aviation science contrary to pronouncement by the government of Liberia, in May 2022.Responding to a passage in the Act establishing the RIA, and read by Montserrado county Senator Abraham Darius Dillon, that says “the nominee for said position should obtain a Bachelor of Arts degree or above prior to nomination”, admitted that he doesn’t hold a bachelor’s degree, but rather a certificate in Aircraft maintenance.
It may be recalled, the executive mansion on Wednesday, May 4, 2022, President George Weah nominated Mr. Darlington T. Karnley, as Managing Director of the Liberia Airport Authority (LAA).
In a Press Release, the Executive Mansion stated that Mr. Karnley has “a rich background in the field of aviation and is a master’s degree Candidate in aviation management from the Aviation Institute of Maintenance in Philadelphia
IPNEWS reporter at the confirmation hearing reports that nominee fumbled several times during his confirmation hearing in the chamber of the Liberian Senate sparkling majority members of the Senate’s committee conviction that the nominee was unfit for the job.
The nomination of Darlington Karnley sparked controversy among the intellectual class, that Liberia’s international airport could be compromised due to incompetence.
Others wrote: “The credentials of Weah’s nominee for Airport Manager is FAKE. The Aviation Institute of Maintenance (AIM) in Philly does not offer any degree. It’s a trade school like MVTC.”
