In December 2021, the United States government through its Department of Treasury placed a targeted sanction on Nimba County Senator, Prince Johnson, a former rebel general and commander of the defunct rebel Independent National Patriotic Front of Liberia (INPFL), a breakaway faction of former Liberian president Charles Taylor’s rebel movement – the National Patriotic Front of Liberia (NPFL).
The U.S. Treasury sanctioned Prince Yormie Johnson under Global Magnitsky Act for corrupt practices and other vices unbecoming of a government official.
Regarding Senator Johnson’s link to corruption in Liberia, the US Treasury Department said in 2021: “Prince Yormie Johnson is a former warlord and current member of the Liberian Senate. He is the former Chairman of the Senate Committee on National Security, Defense, Intelligence, and Veteran Affairs. In 1990, he was responsible for the murder of former Liberian President Samuel Doe, and Johnson is named in Liberia’s Truth and Reconciliation Report as having committed atrocities during the country’s first civil war.
As a Senator, Johnson has been involved in pay-for-play funding with government ministries and organizations for personal enrichment. As part of the scheme, upon receiving funding from the Government of Liberia (GOL), the involved government ministries and organizations launder a portion of the funding for return to the involved participants. The pay-for-play funding scheme involves millions of U.S. dollars. Johnson has also offered the sale of votes in multiple Liberian elections in exchange for money.
Johnson is designated pursuant to E.O. 13818 for being a foreign person who is a current or former government official, or a person acting for or on behalf of such an official, who is responsible for or complicit in, or has directly or indirectly engaged in, corruption, including the misappropriation of state assets, the expropriation of private assets for personal gain, corruption related to government contracts or the extraction of natural resources, or bribery.”
The US Treasury Department then warned that anybody or institution doing business with the sanctioned Senator would risked being sanction too.
At the same time, the U.S. Mission in Liberia said “it stands in solidarity with all those committed to confronting and ending widespread corruption. This includes those within the Government of Liberia who stand up against corruption, committed Liberian citizens and organizations seeking to challenge the impunity of corrupt officials, and international organizations supporting anti-corruption efforts. Today’s sanctioning of Senator Prince Yormie Johnson is one small part of that effort.”
PYJ Still Does Business with Pres. Weah?
Flashback: Sen. Prince Y. Johnson campaigns for Weah and the CDC in the 2017 presidential run-off
It seems the targeted sanctions placed on Nimba County Senator Prince Y. Johnson by the US Treasury Department continues to be ignored by President George Weah and others.
A local daily, FrontPage Africa reports that the sanctioned Senator Prince Y. Johnson still calls the shots; reportedly coercing President Weah to make a number of appointments in Government.
Senator Prince Y. Johnson, sanctioned by the United States Treasury Department, is still using his influence as the ‘godfather’ of the vote-rich Nimba County as leverage to impose on President George Weah appointments into government as he desires, FrontPage Africa has gathered.
It is said that the Nimba County Senator has been behind a number of ‘bad appointments and recommendations for key jobs in the Weah-led government.’
This, according to the local daily, is reportedly raising concerns within leadership’s inner circle as the former warlord-turned Senator is said to be using vote-rich Nimba’s influence on 2023 elections in a bid to force allies into government despite being nailed on US Treasury Department’s Sanctions List.
Senator Johnson recently wrote President Weah to appoint Mr. Zotawin Titus, Commissioner at the Liberia Telecommunications Authority (LTA) as the Chairperson of the LTA as part of the accommodation for Nimba County in the 2023 elections.
“If this decision is yielded to, it will see Ms. Edwina Zackpah, one of the few females holding a top post in the Weah-led government, being ousted as acting Chairperson of the LTA. His request, however, has put President Weah in a fix as he is weighing between the Acting Chairperson and Senator Johnson’s request which is being rejected by many of his advisors,” the local daily writes.
FrontPage Africa also reports that Senator Johnson through his influence continues to ensure that Nimbaians remain in key government positions. Mr. Charles Gono, for instance, has been Deputy Commissioner for Technical Service (Division of Safety and Vessel Registration) since 2009 when Maritime was still a Bureau before being turned into an Authority. He has served more than two tenures as Deputy, yet, through the influence of Sen. Johnson, President Weah continues to maintain Mr. Gono at the Maritime Authority.
Sources close to President Weah also informed FrontPage Africa that Mr. Sam Doe whose nomination as Deputy Managing Director for Operations at the National Port Authority has brought some embarrassment to the government due to his alleged criminal records in the United States was a recommendation by Senator Johnson.
Senator Johnson, according to sources, along with the Nimba County caucus have been imposing names on ArcelorMittal for employment – often threatening the giant steel company that their failure to employ his lieutenants would be detrimental to their smooth operations in the county.
Vote-rich Nimba County – Feeling Entitled
Flashback: A cross section of CDCians and other supporters of the CDC back in 2017
Nimba County, according to the 2008 National Housing and Population Census, had a population of about 462,026. From the National Elections Commission (NEC) 2017 statistics, Nimba had a voting population of 279,601, of this number, 200,791 votes were cast in the county.
Despite the presence of 20 Presidential candidates in that 2017 presidential race, the Unity Party was led by Vice President Joseph Boakai and Senator Weah, who headed the CDC, were inarguably the heavyweights in that election, but still Senator Johnson was overwhelmingly voted for by kinsmen and women in Nimba.
He attained 107,430 votes of the 200,791 votes that were cast. That constituted 53.5% of the overall votes in the county. The margin between Senator Johnson and Vice President Boakai, who came out second in Nimba was a 67,466 difference. VP Boakai obtained 39,964 votes.
Senator Johnson’s support to Pres. Weah in the second round of the election saw Pres. Weah attain an overwhelming victory in the election.
Senator Johnson is on record for expressing his regrets for rallying the vote-rich Nimba in support of President Weah. However, pundits say this has been his strategy to get the President in line with his demands.
It can be recalled that in August 2020, while expressing his regrets, Sen. Johnson walked out of the Senate’s confirmation proceedings for a new Superintendent of Nimba County. President George Weah had appointed Mr. Nelson N. Korquoi to replace outgoing Dorr Cooper. Cooper is said to be a supporter of Sen. Johnson.
“I don’t want confusion; you all know the level of work I did in Nimba to get President Weah elected. In 2005 and 2011, the people of Nimba didn’t vote for CDC. In 2017, everything almost went to the other candidate; my support for the CDC brought the victory,” Sen. Johnson said.
Why Ignore the US Targeted Sanctions?
Flashback: Sen. PYJ in a military attire during one of CDC campaign trails in 2017
Political pundits and commentators have told IPNEWS that the consistent ignoring of the targeted sanctions placed on the likes of Nimba and Grand Cape Mount senators, Prince Johnson and Varney Sherman, as well as the former Minister of State for Presidential Affairs, Nathaniel McGill and former National Port Authority managing director Bill Twehway by some government officials as well as local county officials may lead some people into trouble with the US government as they continue to do business with the targeted-sanction current and former officials.
These sanctioned former and current officials will be seeking legislative seats in 2023, and they being on US sanction list, with the US government saying it won’t work with any of them, would it be prudent for Liberians to vote these people into office as far as the Legislature is concerned?
If President Weah can take into account this portion of the statement when Senator Johnson was sanctioned by the US government, he won’t allegedly be dealing with him ahead of the 2023 elections: “As a Senator, Johnson has been involved in pay-for-play funding with government ministries and organizations for personal enrichment. As part of the scheme, upon receiving funding from the Government of Liberia (GOL), the involved government ministries and organizations launder a portion of the funding for return to the involved participants. The pay-for-play funding scheme involves millions of U.S. dollars. Johnson has also offered the sale of votes in multiple Liberian elections in exchange for money.”
The US government when they sanctioned Senator Prince Y. Johnson also labeled him and wrote:: “Prince Yormie Johnson is a former warlord and current member of the Liberian Senate. He is the former Chairman of the Senate Committee on National Security, Defense, Intelligence, and Veteran Affairs. In 1990, he was responsible for the murder of former Liberian President Samuel Doe, and Johnson is named in Liberia’s Truth and Reconciliation Report as having committed atrocities during the country’s first civil war.”
Now, the million dollars question being asked by political experts, analysts, commentators and purists is, with the ball now being in the court of Liberians, will they vote for the sanctioned former and current officials, or not vote for them to avoid future embarrassment? The US government has warned that anybody or institution doing business with the sanctioned former or current officials of the Liberian government risked being sanctioned themselves. Will President Weah ignore this warning and continue to engage the services of the sanctioned Senator Prince Y. Johnson ahead of the 2023 presidential and legislative elections in the hope of being re-elected for a second term? The bookmakers are watching keenly.
