Liberia: Govt, U.S. Probe Biggest Scandal Ever
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The Analyst (Monrovia)
26 August 2008
Posted to the web 26 August 2008
In July this year, the World Bank Institute released the Worldwide Governance Indicators that stated categorically that Liberia has shown the largest improvement of any country in the world in controlling corruption over the last two years.
The Sirleaf administration intends to keep the pride generated by those indicators, but not if a big corruption scandal being circulated on the internet is anything to consider.
Now the government wants to authenticate the internet corruption scandal; and not only that, it also wants the involvement of the U.S. government whose corruption control law is believed to be violated, the wisdom of independent probe ombudsmen, and a prosecution attorney of fame.
The Analyst Staff Writer has been looking at the government's statements issued over the last week on what exactly it wants to do to maintain its World Bank Institute's world record.
The Sirleaf administration has announced that it will shortly be seeking the cooperation of the Bush administration to track the origin of a series of emails now circulated on the internet that is damaging to its reputation as well as violative of U.S. anti-corruption law.
This disclosure was contained in a press release issued last week by the Ministry of Justice in Monrovia. But it is not only that ministry that is unnerved by the circulation and that is planning to move heaven and earth to get to the bottom of the scandal it has generated.
President Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf was quoted by an Executive Mansion statement issued over the weekend as viewing with grave concern the emails, their circulation, and the dust they are whipping up and has accordingly ordered the Ministry of Justice to launch an immediate investigation.
"The Executive Mansion is gravely concerned over recently unearthed email exchanges allegedly bearing the addresses of individuals purportedly discussing business deals involving government's pending negotiations with the Liberian Maritime Registry (LISCR)," the Executive Mansion press release said.
It said besides engendering sweeping allegations, what is most disturbing "and of grave magnitude is the linkage the purported email exchanges attempt to draw between the Office of the President and the deals allegedly being discussed".
Meanwhile the Executive Mansion has clarified that Office of the President at no time gave license to any third party to serve as negotiator or go-between.
"[The Executive Mansion] and hereby wishes to establish a clear line of demarcation between the Office of the President and the allegations in the purported email exchanges, the Executive Mansion weekend statement said.
It said it was particularly and gravely concerned about references to Her Excellency as well as to other high government officials in the purported email exchanges and will leave no stones unturned to ensure that the truth is unveiled and the perpetrators prosecuted in keeping with the laws of our country.
"The President of the Republic is determined to ensure that every contract entered into between this government and any other entity will have only one objective, and that is, that such contracts serve the welfare and the benefit of the people of this nation.
"Since her incumbency, President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf has made it a duty to review every contract signed between the government of Liberia and other partners, be it national or international to ensure that the People of Liberia reap the benefit of their nation's natural resources," the Executive Mansion weekend statement said.
In the Justice Ministry statement quoted supra, said the Sirleaf Administration has made it clear that it was suspending any further negotiations on the LISCR Agreement pending the completion of the investigations.
"The Government believes this action to be necessary so that the Agreement is in no way perceived as being tainted," the administration was quoted as saying.
If the probe does go ahead, according to a press release believed to be issued by the Ministry of Justice yesterday on behalf of the government of Liberia, an independent trial process will be established to prosecute those with whom the emails originated and who are established to have acted criminally.
If, on the other hand, the emails as circulated on the internet are not traceable to any public official, then those circulating them will be held to give reasons to a prosecution panel why the government of Liberia should be scandalized at the time its current anti-corruption stance is gaining international acceptance and support.
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"In a similar vein, the Government wishes to state that if the results of the investigations show that this was part of a scheme, that the emails were doctored, and that they were initiated by persons seeking to defame the government and impeded the development strides it is making, appropriate legal and other actions will be vigorously taken against them," the release said.
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