Monrovia – Less than a yr into energy, the Boakai-Koung administration continues to be suffering from allegations of corruption, regardless of the President’s constant pledge to fight the difficulty. The newest scandal entails the Liberia Refugee Repatriation and Resettlement Commission (LRRRC), the federal government company accountable for offering safety to refugees, asylum seekers, stateless individuals, migrants, and internally displaced people.
By Gerald C. Koinyeneh, [email protected]
Over the previous month, Daniel Jackson, a former worker of the LRRRC, has made damning accusations towards the entity. He leaked quite a few misallocated checks from the Central Bank of Liberia (CBL), amounting to hundreds of U.S. {dollars} and thousands and thousands of Liberian {dollars}. Appearing on Spoon Radio and a Facebook dwell present, Jackson supplied a wealth of proof, together with copies of the checks, displaying that funds meant for refugee assist packages had been redirected to people with no official connection to the beneficiaries.
Among probably the most regarding allegations is the involvement of the LRRRC’s Executive Director, Patrick Worzie, and his deputies in orchestrating the scheme. The leaked paperwork recommend that these officers licensed funds to fictitious entities and associates.
Jackson claimed that the corruption inside the LRRRC has severely undermined its means to satisfy its mandate of helping refugees and displaced individuals. He referred to as on President Boakai to intervene and request an investigation by the Liberia Anti-Corruption Commission (LACC).
“At the LRRRC, Patrick Worzie and his deputies are engaging in massive corruption. They inflate the number of refugees, generate over 100 checks, and pay themselves. We have the evidence, and it’s time for the LACC and GAC to take action to stop this scandal,” Jackson urged.
FrontPageAfrica has obtained paperwork displaying that officers exaggerated the variety of returnees receiving resettlement advantages. The paperwork reveal that most of the names listed had been “ghost names,” with their advantages being collected by others in a scheme allegedly devised by Worzie and his directors.
Jackson additionally leaked a pretend manifest containing unrelated pictures and names of ghost returnees. These fraudulent paperwork had been used to print pretend receipts, which had been submitted to the Ministry of Finance and Development Planning (MFDP) as “evidence of payment.”
In a associated accusation, Jackson has referred to as for an investigation into Geraldine Kolleh, who allegedly works for the LRRRC and makes use of her catering service to supply meals for returnees on the rehabilitation middle—a scenario Jackson believes presents a battle of curiosity. Some of the leaked checks present Kolleh cashing checks for over L$4 million and US$30,000.
Jackson additional accused Kolleh of utilizing her connections with high officers to intimidate others. He claimed that Kolleh has bragged about her ties to Senator Prince Moye, whom she met in the course of the JNB-JKK marketing campaign. In response, Moye denied any enterprise dealings with Kolleh, stating, “We are very clear. When people get a bit close to us, they use that to intimidate others… The best thing I did was to serve as the national campaign manager for the ruling Unity Party.”
Comptroller Arrested
Meanwhile, Worzie and his group have denied the allegations. Instead, they turned over their Comptroller and a number of other others to the Liberia National Police (LNP) for investigation into alleged monetary malpractice. This motion follows an investigative report by the Internal Audit Agency, which disclosed that the Comptroller and others cast signatures and altered monetary paperwork in the course of the current repatriation of Liberian refugees from Ghana.
Speaking at a MICAT press briefing on Tuesday, October 22, Worzie acknowledged that the investigation revealed that the Comptroller and his associates cashed checks and engaged in blackmail in the course of the repatriation train. Worzie condemned the alleged actions as fraudulent, stating they undermine the LRRRC’s zero-tolerance coverage for corruption and the Government of Liberia’s ARREST Agenda.
At the LRRRC, Patrick Worzie and his deputies finishing up large corruption. They inflate the numbers of refugees, generated over 100 checks and paid themselves. We have the proof. And it’s time that the LACC and GAC take cost to cease this large scandal
Daniel Jackson, whistle blower, LRRRC
Worzie vowed to collaborate with the LNP and LACC to make sure that these accountable are held accountable and face the complete weight of the regulation.
Despite Worzie’s insistence that he’s harmless, Jackson says there is no such thing as a method he might be away from the scheme as he’s the true mastermind and has benefitted on the expense of the refugees and employees of LRRRC.
Happiness turns bitter
In May, Liberia noticed the return of refugees from Ghana. Approximately 750 Liberian refugees from the Buduburam Refugee Camp arrived by way of the Loguatuo border as a part of a gaggle of 4,300 scheduled to return between May and June. However, Jackson claims the precise variety of returnees was far decrease than reported.
Upon their arrival, the group expressed pleasure to be again house. But quickly, that happiness disappeared. In September, a gaggle of returnee refugees stormed the compound of LRRRC, protesting what they described because the company’s failure to pay their advantages.
The group, led by Assistant Chairperson Emmanuel Derricks, expressed frustration over the Commission’s repeated unfulfilled guarantees. “For about four months, the LRRRC has been telling us that they will make our payments, but nothing has happened,” Derricks stated.
He additional defined that because the group was resettled in Johnsonville by the federal government, they’ve been uncared for, with many falling in poor health resulting from an absence of funds for medical care. According to Derricks, the LRRRC not too long ago promised to pay them by September seventeenth throughout a gathering with the returnees’ management.
However, the group rejected the brand new date, citing a historical past of damaged guarantees from the company. “We cannot continue to believe in false hopes; they have not lived up to their promises,” Derricks added. The returnees referred to as on the nationwide authorities to intervene within the matter and make sure that they obtain the funds owed to them.
