IPNEWS: The 13th Judicial Circuit Court in Margibi County has issued a Writ of Arrest for several individuals associated with the Margibi County Health Team. Among those named are Dr. Augustine N. Fannieh, County Health Officer; Leroy Doreazia, County Administrator; Dornuu Horace, County Procurement Officer; William Johnson, County Logistic Officer; Roland Reeve, County Finance Officer; Mr. Ernest Flahn, County Logistic Officer; and Thomas M. Bonard, County Diagnostic Officer.
Others include Barkolleh Kollie, General Manager of M.J.k. Business Center; Vamuyen Traore, General Manager of Bio-Medical Link; Mr. A. Mohammed Dunor, General Manager of M.D. Capital Reliable Link; Mr. Odoshall Oldpa Kanue, General Manager of Godโs Willing Inc.; and Mr. Momo K. Miller, General Manager of Children Father Business Center, all located in Margibi County.
According to the Writ of Arrest, they are charged with the commission of crimes including Economic Sabotage (a), (b), (c), and (d) (Misuse of Public Money, Property, or Record, Theft and/or illegal Disbursement & Expenditure of Public Money), Theft of Property, Tempering with Public Records, Criminal Facilitation, and Criminal Conspiracy.
The Writ of Arrest was issued following the Ministry of Health’s request to the Liberia Anti-Corruption Commission to investigate and prosecute corruption allegations concerning donor funds allocated to the Margibi County Health Team (MCHT), that was revealed in a scandal uncovered through a leaked audio recording of a senior-management meeting. The discussions exposed internal contention over the unfair distribution of kickbacks from illicit activities and fraudulent billing practices related to the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) Fixed Amount Reimbursement Agreement (FARA) Program, which annually supports the Margibi Health System with US$801,693.00.
The G2G-FARA program supports the implementation of components of the Essential Package of Health Services that promote family planning, maternal and child health, and malaria prevention and treatment at health facilities across Margibi.
While the LACC conducted its investigation, the Ministry of Health collaborated closely with its Government-to-Government (G2G) partner, USAID, conducting a risk assessment of the G2G Health Partnership agreement. The assessment identified critical and high-risk areas, prompting proactive measures from the Ministry to address the identified risks and strengthen internal controls.
In response to the assessment findings, the Minister of Health Dr. Kpoto summoned County Health Teams (CHTs) under the G2G project to a meeting with USAID representatives and MOH central administrative officials on Friday, March 8, to discuss the identified risks and develop strategies to mitigate their recurrence.
During the meeting, the Minister emphasized that she takes the Risk Assessment Report seriously and warned against any involvement in corrupt practices by MoH employees. She affirmed that anyone found breaching trust and ethical standards or defrauding the health systems would be forwarded to the justice system, reaffirming her administration’s commitment to upholding integrity and accountability standards.
โThe Ministry of Health is dedicated to maintaining the trust of partners and the public by ensuring that allocated resources for essential health services reach the last mile. Moving forward, the Ministry will continue working closely with the Liberia Anti-Corruption Commission, partners, and other stakeholders to strengthen oversight mechanisms and safeguard public funds. We reaffirm our commitment to transparency, accountability, and integrity within the health sector,โ Dr. Kpoto stated.
