FORMER MONTSERRADO COUNTY REPRESENTATIVE MOSES Acarous Gray AND FORMER AUDITOR GENERAL John S. Morlu In Fierce Exchanges Over HANDLING OF ALLEGED Missing NOCAL 10 Million, As Public Outcry Mounts for Restitution AND ACCOUNTABILITY FOR ALL ALLEGEDLY SIPHONED MONEY FROM THE COUNTRY
IPNEWS: In the wake of mountain calls for the restitution of missing US$10 Million Chevron CSR fund from the National Oil Company of Liberia (NOCAL), Liberia’s former Auditor General, Mr. John S. Morlu, II, says former Montserrado County Representative Acarous Moses Gray unknowingly and publicly admitted to criminal conspiracy to the misapplication of the funds and must restitute it.
In ongoing tits for tats exchanges, the former Auditor General stated that the former lawmaker’s admittance to being a recipient of the NOCAL US$10 million dollars Chevron CSR Funds and subsequent call for investigation is satirical and caricature intended to rawhide the facts.
Morlu stated furhter that Gray’s alleged admittance to criminal conspiracy in hiding US$10 million Chevron CSR Mismanagement, benefitting him with two projects in his electoral district #8, Montserrado County, signifies his betrayal of criminal conspiracy against Liberia and poor Liberians and must accout.
“Liberians, read what I wrote and carefully consider the response from Acarus Gray. If this is the quality of our legislators, then Liberia is doomed. CDC Jefferson Koijee accused Robert Sirleaf of mismanaging Chevron’s US$10 million corporate social responsibility money—a significant amount. Robert Sirleaf threatened to sue Koijee. Fellow CDCIAN and lawmaker Acarous Gray called for an investigation.”
“Now, Gray claims he was not part of the investigation but a resource person for the investigation committee. He’s blaming former Speaker Alex Tyler and former Rep James Biney. Can any reasonable Liberian believe this? Gray called for the investigation, served as a resource on the committee, but did not see a copy of the report? I simply asked where the US$10 million report is, and he has given a long explanation. He negotiated the US$10 million report, so why can’t he produce a copy? And this firebrand Acarous Gray just kept his mouth shut. Really, Acarous and CDC?”
“Instead, while serving as a resource person on the committee, he demanded that NOCAL and Robert Sirleaf do two projects in his community. He said that himself. Isn’t this a blatant example of criminal conspiracy? I wrote, By the way, where is Acarous Gray with his report on Chevron’s $10 million donation? As he held up an automatic commission when Robert Sirleaf used Koijee for accusing him of embezzling Chevron’s US$10 million social fund, Rep Gray’s committee launched an investigation. He hid the final report. Let him bring the report. He negotiated it with NOCAL,” former Auditor General Morlu contends.
He furthermore argued that former Representative Gray’s committee investigated the funds misapplication when he requested the House of Representatives to investigate the US$10 million, as a “resource person,” so then, it was time to provide the outcome of the investigation report.
“Acarous Gray, where is the report? Why did you get two projects from NOCAL from the same corporate social responsibility money you were investigating?”
“My entire point is, where is the report on Chevron’s US$10 million? No plenty talking. You negotiated it. Now you’re blaming former Speaker Tyler and former Rep James Biney. Again, Gray covered up his own report that he requested on the US$10 million. It’s criminal conspiracy and has characterized the entire Weah Administration.”
“Gray even sold out Koijee for two projects in his district. How can Liberia get better when a representative, who called for an investigation into a whopping US$10 million and served on the investigation as a resource person, doesn’t have a copy of the report and walks away with two projects funded by Robert Sirleaf’s NOCAL, where the US$10 million went missing?”
“Boakai should limit and focus only on Weah Administration and his own. Tweah, Weah, and Gray are desperate in their attempt to generalize the corruption fight and escape punishment. Weah criminally conspired with Sirleaf not audit her 12 administration. That’s not Boakai’s problem. That’s Weah’s mess and problem,” Mr. Morlu concludes.
In a swift response, former Montserrado County District No. 8, Acarous Moses Gray calls Liberia’s former Auditor General John S. Morlu a liar for calling him a criminal conspirator.
Acarous M. Gray stated that he was never an appointed member of any committee that investigated the Chevron’s $10 million Corporate Social Responsibility funds.
Gray said the truth is that he wrote a communication addressed to Speaker Alex Tyler calling for an investigation into the usage of the funds. However, before writing this communication to the plenary, He consulted the Speaker and he gave him his blessing and assured him that said communication would be read on the floor of the Legislature.
Gray recalled that the communication was read on a session day and it became a fierce debate between him and some UP lawmakers that almost led to a physical fight in session, however, the session ended with a motion that was made to investigate the matter.
“Speaker Alex Tyler announced a committee mainly led by his main man Representative James Biney, now Senator of Maryland County. I was never named as a member of the committee but a colleague was quick to suggest to the Speaker that since I wrote the communication I should provide resourceful information to the Specialized Committee. This means that my role was to provide the committee with the information I had in my possession.”
“The Speaker accepted the suggestion and if this is what you John Morlu labeled as “Rep. Gray’s committee” then it’s unfortunate Mr. Morlu because I was never named to the committee as a member. If you were to name the investigative committee by your act of name calling, then it should have been called “the Biney’s Committee.” Former Representative Gray stated.
Hon. Gray further notes that when the investigation commenced, he provided documents in his possession to the Investigative Committee and the then Minister of State under Ellen came and admitted to some MOU between the Office of the President and Chevron on the $10m Chevron CRS.
“The committee demanded a copy of the MOU and I was excited that the Office of the President agreed to give it, but little did I know that the Executive was afraid for me to see a copy. When the next meeting was called and a copy of the MOU was presented to the committee a dramatic scene unfolded. Rep. Biney and few members of the committee had hashed a plot against me by asking that I recuse myself from the ongoing investigation since I had presented my side of the story and it would be a conflict of interest on my part by our rules and code of conduct. I didn’t hesitate to back-off on grounds of our rules and code of conduct. This devilish internal plot ended my resourceful assistance to the investigative committee.”
“I finally reverted to the floor of the plenary to remind the Speaker that my communication also included inviting Mr. Robert Sirleaf to the full plenary of the House for questioning. However, Mr. Sirleaf didn’t appear on the stipulated date set aside by the plenary. Interestingly, the Speaker in a radio interview denied that Mr. Sirleaf was invited through a plenary decision. My Political Affairs Officer Mr. Janjay Baikpeh who later became Superintendent of Grand Bassa under President Weah called on the radio and said if he were a lawmaker he would have asked Speaker Tyler to resign for not saying the truth. The statement by Janjay sparked a threat for my removal from the Legislature because it was interpreted as bringing the office of the Speaker to public disrepute.”
“I was summoned in an Executive Session to dismiss Janjay from my office and while being accused of using him to disrespect the Office of the Speaker. While in Executive, I was shocked when Speaker Tyler told me that I would never use his hands to fight President Sirleaf. I responded vehemently that I was ready to take an expulsion from the Legislature but was never going to dismiss or reprimand my personal staff for speaking truth to power.”
“Mr. John Morlu, my first term as a lawmaker was Ellen Sirleaf last years in office and I was unbending and unwavering in my stance and for you to buy into a gossip that Gray was involved into hiding a report against her government it means you didn’t get to know me for yourself. If you should accuse any one of hiding such a report, then accuse James Biney and Alex Tyler and not me who was not a full member of the committee. Those who may have provided you the information distorted the facts, and it’s my hope that you all counter check the facts. Again, I was never a member of the committee nor a signatory to such report.” Hon. Acarus Gray averred.
