PHOTO: One of the suspects, Junior Richard
By Emmanuel Mafelah, mafelahemmanuel29@gmail.com
GBARNGA, Liberia- Police in the capital of the central Bong County have changed and sent to court several individuals with multiple crimes, including criminal facilitation and theft of property.
The suspects allegedly escaped with a consignment of Covid-19 materials belonging to the Bong County Health Team, after impersonating.
Materials confiscated include, nose masks, face shield, hands glove, among other things.
The Commander of the Liberia National Police Crimes Services Division, John Kellenso Flomo said the materials were seized on April 23, 2020 on a vehicle with license plate number A-217595 by the Joint Security at the Packer Paint interaction in Monrovia’s Paynesville suburb.
The Liberia National Police Bong County local Commander said the vehicle was also marked with three different Police code, 102, 122, and 108.
Commander Flomo said during the Police preliminary investigation, the driver of the vehicle and suspect Junior Richards admitted to committing the crime. But said it was Buster Beaye, a Dispenser with the Bong County Health Team who gave him the materials.
The Police have charged the driver of the Car, Junior Richards for criminal facilitation; the Bong County Team Dispensers, Buster Beaye for theft of property; and the owner of the vehicle, Sekou Kromah for impersonating of an official in the Country.
The Police charge sheet said the charges are in line with 15.51 of the new Penal Code of the Republic of Liberia.
Responding to changes against him, the diver of the vehicle, Junior Richards said he was hired by a man only identified as Patrick for he (Richards) to come to Suakoko for goods from Buster Beaye, a Dispenser with the Bong County Health Team.
The suspect, who is a resident of District#15 in Monsterrado County, also alleged that he was given one hundred United States Dollars and four thousand Liberian Dollars by Patrick to be presented to one Beaye, upon arrival in the County.
According to Richards, he was arrested by the LNP in Monrovia and was taken to the Zone Five Police depot and later forwarded to the LNP in Bong County for investigation.
For his part, the owner of the vehicle, Sekou Kromah said the reason for he used the three distant Police code is that among the security in Liberia he (Kromah) loves the work of the Police, which is protect life and property in the Country.
When contacted, Bong County Health Team Dispenser Buster Beaye, said the material was discarded by the Health Team in the County.
Citizens of the County have described the alleged disappearance of the materials from the Warehouse of the Bong County Health Team as “corruption suffocating the Heath Team”.
They wondered why materials that were intended to be used by health workers in the County to fright Coronavirus will disappear in thin air.
However, the Bong County Health Team Officer, Dr. Adolphus Yeah, and the Chief Dispenser of the Health Team, Suahkollie Weclar have both distanced themselves from allegations by Beaye in the County.
The two local health officials said at no time did they discard Coronavirus materials.
They are calling on the Police to thoroughly investigate suspect Buster Beaye in Bong County.