PHOTO: Suspended Min. McGill and the flag of Bong
By J. Peter S. Dennis, dennisrealone@gmail.com
GBARNGA, Liberia: Some citizens in the central Bong County have criticized the recent prayers being offered for suspended Minister of States for Presidential Affairs, Nathaniel Falo McGill in this County.
Less than five days into his suspension by President George Manneh Weah, the Soul Winning Baptist Conference called Mr. McGill into prayers at its annual conference in Laworta, Kpaai district to what critics say was to shield his corrupt act- with a hope that the sanction will “pass over him”.
The US Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) on August 15, 2022 designated Liberian government officials Nathaniel McGill, Sayma Syrenius Cephus, and Bill Twehway for their involvement in ongoing public corruption in Liberia.
McGill is being designated for being a foreign person who is a current government official who is responsible for or complicit in, or who has directly or indirectly engaged in, corruption, including the misappropriation of state assets, the expropriation of private assets for personal gain, corruption related to government contracts or the extraction of natural resources, or bribery.
But speaking on various community radio stations and writing posts on Facebook, the citizens termed the action of the pastors as ‘unprofessional and don’t support biblical standards.’
According to them, the pastors’ deed undermines the fight against corruption in Liberia.
The citizens however want the “preacher men” to reframe from such act.
The “Preacher men” want a transfer of the crime- although they didn’t clarify to whom and under what circumstances.
Under the Liberian Laws, crimes are not transferrable.
Diamond Sayon feels “Those elders are voracious elements whose lives have been in complete destitution; and thinking by doing that, McGill will remedy their problems. Disgrace to the elderhood.”
Daniel G. Hope wrote on Facebook “They should be praying that he change, not for the sanction to be transferred. Nonsense!”
Stephen Kloh writes: “This is one of the main reasons that the church of Liberia will never be taken serious.”
“What a shame! The lying spirit has descended upon the religious leaders in Liberia,” Isaac Tucker says.
“Wait oo, those religious leaders are they of good morals? We will not mind them; we will keep praising our faithful God… In Liberia, all those belly driven people will enter hell fire,” another person says.
McArthur Teah, Jr. said, “This is one of the reasons I don’t believe in Liberia pastors. Those pastors are only after the money.”
In recent years, suspended Minister McGill has been dishing out millions of dollars carried in bags to institutions and individuals in Bong County.
Flashback on the sanction
The sanctioned officials of the Weah government were designated pursuant to Executive Order 13818, which builds upon and implements the Global Magnitsky Human Rights Accountability Act and targets perpetrators of serious human rights abuse and corruption around the world.
The sanctions, according to the US, came after a rigorous inter-agency investigation, which determined that these three officials engaged in corrupt acts, and they are “now subject to US financial sanctions and visa restrictions.
Particularly, the US’ Treasury report on Minister Nathaniel McGill says “Nathaniel McGill (McGill) is Minister of State for Presidential Affairs and Chief of Staff to President George Weah. During his tenure in government, McGill has bribed business owners, received bribes from potential investors, and accepted kickbacks for steering contracts to companies in which he has an interest. McGill has manipulated public procurement processes in order to award multi-million-dollar contracts to companies in which he has ownership, including by abusing emergency procurement processes to rig contract bids. McGill is credibly accused of involvement in a wide range of other corrupt schemes including soliciting bribes from government office seekers and misappropriating government assets for his personal gain. He has used government funds allocated to other Liberian government institutions to run his own projects, made off-the-books payments in cash to senior government leaders, and organized warlords to threaten political rivals. McGill has received an unjustified stipend from various Liberian government institutions and used his position to prevent his misappropriation from being discovered. McGill regularly distributes thousands of dollars in undocumented cash to other government officials for government and non-government activities.
McGill is being designated for being a foreign person who is a current government official who is responsible for or complicit in, or who has directly or indirectly engaged in, corruption, including the misappropriation of state assets, the expropriation of private assets for personal gain, corruption related to government contracts or the extraction of natural resources, or bribery.”
According to United States under Secretary of the Treasury for Terrorism and Financial Intelligence, Brian E. Nelson, “Through their corruption these officials have undermined democracy in Liberia for their own personal benefit.”
Suspension of McGill, Twehway and Cephus
Minister McGill’s suspension came days after a major US Treasury Department report linking him to a foremost corruption scandal in Liberia.
Following the imposition of the US targeted sanctions against Minister McGill, Bill Twehway and Cephus, President Weah, apparently under immense pressure not to get in trouble with the US government, immediately announced the suspension of the three officials for time indefinite.
“President George Manneh Weah has received with serious concern, a recent United States Treasury Department report which designates three of his officials for specialized sanctions under the Global Magnitsky Act.
According to an Executive Mansion statement issued Tuesday, August 16, 2022, President Weah views the allegations against the officials contained in the report as grave.
In view of this, President George Weah has suspended the named officials, Minister of State Nathaniel McGill, the Managing Director of the National Port Authority Bill Twehway, and Solicitor General Seyma Syrennius Cephus with immediate effect suspended the three top government officials to enable them to face investigation.”
Gongloe, Barnes and Others’ call for dismissal
During the course of the week, several civil society organizations, political parties, human rights and pro-democracy groups chided the Government of Liberia, as well as President George Weah for what they termed ‘cosmetic suspension’ and called for dismissal of the three officials due to the gravity of the allegations brought against them by the United States Treasury Department.
Renowned human rights lawyer, and now politician and presumptive standard bearer of the Liberia People’s Party (LPP), Cllr. Tiawan Saye Gongloe called for the dismissal of the three designated officials, while former presidential candidate, Liberia’s Ambassador to the United States and United Nations, as well as former Finance Minister, Nathaniel Barnes called on Liberians to take lead for U.S. targeted sanctions against corrupt Liberian government and public officials.
Meanwhile, political commentators and pundits including ordinary Bongese say the ball is in the court of President Weah to harness the political will and courage to ensure those three officials of his government who have been sanctioned by the US Treasury Department are fully kept outside of the government circles as they go through their sanction period, whether they seek redress or not, but a clear line of demarcation must be drawn between they and the Government.
Deputy House Speaker’s reaction
At the same time, Deputy House Speaker Fornati Koffa says the United States’ opinions are taken seriously globally. He stated that justly or unjustly, “we must take these sanctions seriously and deepen our engagement with the United States, our oldest and biggest ally.”
Cllr. Koffa however, told Legislative Reporters after Tuesday’s Session in Monrovia that he makes no judgment of anybody designated by the sanctions, but insists Liberians must take the issue seriously.