-As CDC Gov’t launches probe into Amb. Neufville’s US$200K bribe to stop Dec 30 protest
By Our Staff Writer
Within no time after Ambassador Rufus Neufville’s wild claim that some top government officials dished out US$200,000.00 to four of the leaders of the Council of Patriots (COP) to call off their protest, the Liberian government on Monday, December 30, 2019 announced an inquest into the bribery allegation.
Vocal talk show host, Henry P. Costa and three of his COP officials were accused by Neufville, who broke away from the group months ago, of allegedly taking delivery of the huge sum in question between 2-3am on the morning of December 30 in the Monrovia suburb of Paynesville. But Costa has so far not posted any direct reaction to this claim on his Facebook page.
Instead what he posted some 20 hours ago (Monday morning, December 30, 2019) was simply: “Doggit, the criminal government and their paid agent are making fuss.”#January6#. Below he posted the MICAT press release on the alleged bribery saga.
“The government views the claim which was made by Rufus Neufville, Chairman of the Independent Council of Patriots group, as grave and troubling. The government has therefore ordered a speedy investigation into the allegation,” says a press release from the Ministry of Information signed by its Minister, Lenn Eugene Nagbe.
Both key actors in the ruling CDC, Neufville himself ( a one time CDC stalwart) as well as the controversial talk show host, Mr. Coasta are not strangers to being linked to scams. Some of the top officials of the CDC have in the past been linked to “cutting black deals”, in which monies reportedly changed hands in countless number of political deals; dating back to their opposition days. This is why the CDC won the nickname “the Commercial Party” in some quarters.
For Costa, he has been heard on audio tape cutting deals with past officials/contacts of the former Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf regime to “be soft” on his widely listened to radio talk show. There were also reports of some financial deals being cut with the current CDC regime that won him over temporarily, triggering praises of the Weah regime.
But Costa and his COP had earlier said their decision to call off the planned December 30 protest and reschedule it was based on advice from foreign diplomats in Monrovia.
Mr. Neufville instead claimed that the COP was only using that as a smoke screen and that the real reason why they called off the protest was the US$200K bribe they had allegedly received.
He said his vehicle trailed a black jeep with no license plate that was allegedly delivering the money to the COP officials during the predawn hours.
Neufville has meanwhile, threatened to push for the processing of an impeachment bill against the George Weah government for allegedly aiding and abetting bribery, which is an economic crime, if the government doesn’t get to the bottom of his allegation.