The controversy over President George Weah’s recent appointment of the Head of Secretariat of the Liberia Extractive Initiative Transparency Initiative (LEITI) has sparked international criticisms.
The London-based international campaign Group, Global Witness published on its website on Monday condemned the appointment of former Montserrado County Representative Gabriel Nyenkan as “illegal interference”.
“Liberia’s LEITI Act states that only the LEITI Multi-stakeholder Steering Group (MSG) can appoint or remove the Head of Secretariat[i],” Global Witness said in its March 19, 2018 press release.
Last week, armed police accompanied the former lawmaker Nyenkan to the LEITI office near the country’s Executive Mansion to ensure that the Head of Secretariat Konah Karmo hand over to him.
Nyenkan told Journalists that he invited the police because Karmoh had refused to respect the President’s order, as Karmoh said that his post was a tenure contract given to him by the MSG.
Karmoh was hired by the MSG after a competitive recruitment process involving other Liberians.
After the drama at the LEITI offices last week, the MSG had an emergency meeting and called on President Weah to reconsider his decision to “enable the entity fully focus on the crucial task at hand before the country’s next validation due in a few months.”
However, the Presidency has made no comment on either the saga at the LEITI’s offices or the MSG’s call for the Liberian leader to reverse his decision to appoint the Head of the LEITI Secretariat.
The latest criticism of the President’s appointment at LEITI follows last week’s criticism by a leading local transparency group, the Center for Transparency and Accountability (CENTAL).
“The Center for Transparency and Accountability in Liberia (CENTAL) is disturbed by the action of President George M. Weah to appoint the Head of Secretariat of LEITI, in violation of the Act creating the integrity institution,” CENTAL’s Executive Director, Anderson Miamen said in a press statement.
lEIT Mandate
LEITI is part of the EITI- a global Standard to promote the open and accountable management of extractive resources.
The LEITI’s office in Monrovia outlines its mandate as follows:
“LEITI works through a Secretariat guided by a multi-stake holder arrangement comprising the Government, Civil Society Organizations and Private companies to improve the governance of the Extractive sector in Liberia.
Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (EITI) is a global standard for the good governance of oil, gas and mineral resources. It seeks to address the key governance issues in the extractive sectors.”
“The EITI Standard requires information along the extractive industry value chain from the point of extraction, to how the revenue makes its way through the government, to how it contributes to the economy.
This includes how licenses and contracts are allocated and registered, who are the beneficial owners of those operations are, what are the fiscal and legal arrangements are, how much is produced, how much is paid, where are those revenues allocated, and what is the contribution to the economy, including employment.
Liberia is one of 52 Countries worldwide that are implementing the EITI Standard. Each of these countries is required to publish an annual EITI Report disclosing information on: contracts and licenses, production, revenue collection, revenue allocation, and social and economic spending.”
Below is FULL TEXT OF Global Witness March 19, 2018 press release.
Global Witness CONDEMNS ILLEGAL INTERFERENCE IN LIBERIAN TRANSPARENCY AND ANTI-CORRUPTION AGENCY
Global Witness strongly condemns the illegal removal of Konah Karmo, Head of Secretariat of the Liberia Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (LEITI).
The firing of Mr Karmo by President George Weah, who has replaced him with Gabriel Nyenkan, violates Liberian law and severely undermines the independence of Liberia’s critical anti-corruption agency.
On March 5, President George Weah announced that Gabriel Nyenkan was to assume the post of LEITI Head of Secretariat. One week later, Mr Nyenkan arrived at the LEITI office in Monrovia accompanied by Liberian police officers. They demanded that the current Secretariat Head Konah Karmo leave the building, which he did.
The removal of Mr Karmo and appointment of Mr Nyenkan is illegal. Liberia’s LEITI Act states that only the LEITI Multi-stakeholder Steering Group (MSG) can appoint or remove the Head of Secretariat[i]. This safeguard is critical for the maintenance of LEITI’s independence, ensuring that the agency is not dominated by any of its constituent groups or subject to external interference.
LEITI is an autonomous Liberian agency that ensures transparency in Liberia’s forestry, oil, mining, and agricultural plantation sectors.
It has the legal mandate to publish company contracts and the money they pay to the government. LEITI is governed by an independent MSG that is comprised of representatives from the government, companies, and Liberian civil society groups. Together, these representatives can keep one another accountable and ensure LEITI continues to promote and deliver transparency.
“President Weah must immediately withdraw his appointment of Gabriel Nyenkan, allowing Konah Karmo to resume his duties as LEITI Head of Secretariat,” said Simon Clydesdale, extractive industries campaign leader at Global Witness.
“LEITI’s independence is fundamental to its mandate and for the political credibility of Liberia, it cannot be the playground of political appointments.”