IPNEWS-Monrovia: A fortnight ago in early May 2022, Mr. Alexander Cummings, the political leader of the Alternative National Congress (ANC) left no stone unturned in his quest to prove his innocence against the allegation that he altered the Framework Document of the main opposition Collaborating Political Parties (CPP) and forged the signatures of the CPP leaders, particularly that of Mr. Theodore Momo, chairman of the All Liberian Party.

Although the matter is in court for determination, Mr. Cummings hired the services of Cherie Blair CBE QC to lead an independent and internationally-staffed forensic investigation into the document tampering allegations made by the All Liberian Party (“ALP”), which form the basis of ongoing criminal proceedings.

Cherie Blair CBE, QC is the Founder and Chair of Omnia Strategy where she focuses on international arbitration, strategic international legal, and advisory work and practices as a barrister. She is a Queen’s Counsel and wife of former British Prime Minister Tony Blair. With over 40 years of experience as a leading barrister specializing in public international law, human rights, employment law, arbitration, and mediation, Cherie has represented over 30 governments as well as numerous multinational corporations in international disputes. Through Omnia Strategy, Cherie advises clients on complex issues relating to international dispute resolution, investment treaties, corporate responsibility, and business & human rights, and government relations. She also represents clients as counsel in international arbitrations and legal cases.

“We are privileged to engage in this important truth-finding exercise, to independently assess the veracity of the allegations and get to the bottom of this sensitive issue. We are aware of the serious nature of the claims on both sides, and the ramifications of our findings not just for Liberia’s opposition but for the country’s future,” Cherie Blair CBE, QC said.

According to the ANC, Mr. Cummings commissioned this independent investigation to provide an objective evaluation of the claims made by the ALP and the Government of Liberia.

The political party in a press release stated then that “Throughout his corporate, philanthropic, and political career, at home and abroad and his recent political engagements in Liberia, Mr. Cummings has always been committed to high standards of integrity, honesty, probity, and transparency. These allegations are an attempt to question and undermine his values.”

The Collaborating Political Parties which comprised the All Liberian Party, the Alternative National Congress, the Liberty and the Unity Party was with the single aim of forming a united force that would unseat the Weah-led administration in 2023 presidential elections.

However, the Collaboration began to disintegrate just a couple of months before they could go for their convention to elect the standard-bearer of the collaboration.

The political leader of the ALP in a complaint letter addressed to the then chairman of the CPP, Senator Nyonblee Karnga-Lawrence, indicated that he had been tipped the CPP Framework Document had been nefariously altered by a ranking member of the CPP.

This allegation has led to the state pressing charges of forgery and criminal conspiracy against Mr. Cummings. However, he says, the charges are politically motivated and tramped up against him to ruin his reputation and undermine his candidacy at home and abroad.

And so to clear his reputation both locally and internationally, the ANC political leader hired the Omnia Strategy and Laco Limited, a team of specialist lawyers and professional investigators that has forensically examined the allegations against Mr. Alexander B. Cummings, and claimed that the prosecution is baseless and lacks merit.

Mr. Cummings is the Standard Bearer of the Alternative National Congress (ANC) and Presidential Aspirant in Liberia’s scheduled 2023 Presidential and General Elections.

Mr. Cummings welcomes the findings of an independent expert report into tampering allegations made by the All Liberian Party (ALP). The accusations form the basis of ongoing criminal proceedings against Mr. Cummings and others in Liberia.

Renowned human rights lawyer Cherie Blair CBE, QC led a team of specialist lawyers from Omnia Strategy and professional investigators from Alaco Limited were hired by Mr. Cummings to forensically examine the allegations against him.

The review found “the Collaborating Political Parties (CPP) Investigative Committee Report does not stand up to scrutiny, provides no reliable substantiation for the allegations it purported to uphold, and is a wholly unsafe basis for any criminal prosecution.”

The independent report, ‘during a virtual presentation Tuesday, May 24 in Monrovia, Cherie Blair, who is also the wife of former British Prime Minister, Tony Blair, declares that the Framework of Political Persecution: The Case of Alexander B. Cummings’, published Tuesday, reveals how the CPP Investigative Committee failed to take into account key evidence showing the comprehensive review and approval of the Framework Document by all parties to the agreement. Inexplicably, this was despite its own Chairman having participated in this process of negotiating and agreeing on the text. This raises serious questions about the Committee’s motivations and competence.

Flashback: UP political leader Joe Boakai leaves the Monrovia Court after testifying against his fellow opposition political leader in an ongoing forgery trial

According to the World Justice Project, Liberia’s rule of law has deteriorated over the last two years and lags well behind the regional average, the country’s lowest scores being ‘Absence of Corruption’ and ‘Criminal Justice’.

The report also reveals that as President George Weah and his allies in government and opposition preside over a continuing assault on Liberia’s democratic values, the Omnia-Alaco report shines a light on how this is playing out in the political persecution of Mr. Cummings.

Alexander B. Cummings

Acknowledging the findings of the report, Cummings adds: “the findings of the report are conclusive. With the baselessness of the accusations against me now laid bare, the truth – that this was a politicized attempt to impugn my integrity and derail our movement for real change – may prevail. I have always stood firm and calm when the government has violated my own democratic rights. But I could not remain calm as the government orchestrated this trial, which has been an assault on the democratic rights of all Liberians and the values of the international democratic community.”

Mrs. Blair said: “Our investigation has shown that the original complaints against Mr. Cummings and the CPP’s so-called investigation are hopeless. The evidence simply does not stack up. The entire affair is at best a wild goose chase and at least worst a witch hunt. I have no doubt the Liberian courts will see that justice is done.”

Cherie Blair CBE, QC is the Founder and Chair of Omnia Strategy LLP, a pioneering international law firm she co-founded in 2011 that boasts a unique law model combining legal capabilities with a multi-disciplinary skillset across policy, diplomacy, intelligence, and communications.

Cherie is a Queen’s Counsel and wife of former British Prime Minister Tony Blair. With over 40 years of experience as a leading barrister specializing in human rights, international arbitration, strategic international legal, and advisory work, Cherie has represented over 30 governments as well as numerous individuals and multinational corporations in international disputes.

Through Omnia Strategy, Cherie advises clients on complex issues from dispute prevention and resolution to public international law and investigations. She is a leading authority on the rule of law, including matters of arbitrary detention and fair trials, and has acted both as an independent expert and as an advocate on high-profile cases involving the alleged misuse of criminal justice systems. Cherie also represents clients as counsel in international arbitrations and legal cases with a particular focus on Africa where she works for States, investors, and individuals, delivering elegant solutions to their challenges.

Cherie is closely involved with various charities and is a strong advocate for women’s rights. She is the Founder of the Cherie Blair Foundation for Women, which runs programmes to support women entrepreneurs across the developing world, including Africa. She is also Vice-Chair of the International Council on Women’s Business Leadership founded by Hillary Clinton and a Director of the Dangote Group. Cherie is also a member of Concordia’s Leadership Council and helped officially launch the Concordia Africa Initiative in New York in September 2018.

Alexander B. Cummings

Mr. Alexander B. Cummings is a businessman, philanthropist, and politician. He is the Political Leader and Standard Bearer of the Alternative National Congress (ANC), while also formerly Chairman, leading the legal formation of the Collaborating Political Parties (CPP), the largest opposition grouping in Liberia. He is the Founder & Chairman of Cummings Investments Holdings, Ltd., and the Founder of the Cummings Africa Foundation, a nonprofit organization. Mr. Cummings holds a BA in Finance and Economics from Northern Illinois University and an MBA in Finance from Clark-Atlanta University.

Mr. Cummings retired from The Coca-Cola Company in 2016 where he served as Executive Vice President and Chief Administrative Officer, at one point the second-highest-ranking officer, for eight years and was held responsible for most of the company’s business functions across five groups and 200 countries globally with an operating budget of roughly $1 Billion and thousands of employees worldwide. Mr. Cummings is proudly Liberian and passionately committed to its development and that of Africa as a whole. He will be a presidential candidate in Liberia for the 2023 General and Presidential Elections.

Gordon Rainey

A trained lawyer, Gordon Rainey is a seasoned executive in the business intelligence sector, with over ten years of experience in the industry. Having joined Alaco in 2019, his work cuts across a variety of sectors and disciplines, with an emphasis on transactional and strategic intelligence mandates for corporate clients and both public and private investors. He also has managed a broad range of dispute-related assignments, typically in conjunction with outside counsel. On both transactional and contentious matters, Gordon has travelled extensively throughout the developed and emerging economies of Europe, Russia/CIS, the Middle East, Africa, and Asia.

Gordon began his career practicing corporate law in New York and London with a leading Wall Street firm. He holds a Juris Doctorate from the University of Virginia School Of Law and is a licensed attorney in the State of New York.

Omnia Strategy

Omnia is an international law firm founded in 2011 by Cherie Blair CBE, QC. Omnia specializes in bespoke dispute resolution and dispute prevention around the world, through its unique Law+ approach, combining legal expertise with experience across policy, business, and communications. Omnia is trusted by government, corporate and private clients to provide legal and strategic counsel on a broad spectrum of matters, including international arbitration, business, and human rights, public international law, and more unconventional problem-solving. www.omniastrategy.com

Alaco

Established in 2002, Alaco is a leading business intelligence and investigations firm, based in London and operating globally on behalf of its clients on both transactional and contentious matters. In support of its clients, Alaco’s multilingual staff draws on its experience from a variety of backgrounds, such as law, government, journalism, financial services, and diplomacy. www.alaco.com