PHOTO: Cllr. Edwin Martin
By Garmah Never Lomo, garmahlomo@gmail.com
The Liberia Anti-corruption Commission (LACC) has indicted the former boss of the Liberia Institute of Public Administration Oblayon B. Nyemah from the former Ellen Johnson Sirleaf government along with two other former LIPA officials for alleged theft of property and economic sabotage and fraud on the country’s revenue, among charges.
The other two officials of LIPA indicted are Luna M. Harmon, former Controller and Beford Quie, Accounts Officer.
Other charges leveled against the three by the LACC are Misuse of public Money, property or record and theft and or illegal disbursement and expenditure of Public money and Criminal Facilitation and Criminal Conspiracy.
LACC Executive Chairperson, Cllr. Edwin Kla Matins told a news conference in Monrovia on Monday, that other indictments are being prepared for other former and present government officials based on the General Auditing Commission (GAC) reports.
Key powers spelled out in the Act establishing the LACC are: To investigate corrupt conduct in the public sector; To prosecute corrupt conduct in the public sector; To actively prevent corruption in public sector institutions, and To educate the citizens and public sector about corruption and its effects.”
Cllr. Martins said some of those to answer corruption charges have left the country, but serious efforts are being made to put into effect the requisite extradition procedures so that they can have their day in court.
None of those indicted has reacted to the LACC’s indictment since it was announced.
Count one of the indictment against the former LIPA officials says that the Liberia Anti-corruption Commission (LACC) received findings from an audit conducted by the General Auditing Commission on the Liberia Institute of Public Administration (LIPA) covering the period July 1,2015 to June 30,2016 in which it was alleged in the Auditor General’s report that under the leadership of Co-defendant Oblayon B. Nyemah, then Director General of LIPA on October 6,2015, he and the then Acting Comptroller of LIPA Luna M. Harmon opened a bogus account at the International Bank Liberia Limited tilted:Liberia Institute of Public Administration with account number 02-2010-036556-01(later changed to 00121970770690102), instead of using the official name of the entity which is the Liberia Institute of Public Administration.
Former LIPA boss Oblayon B. Nyemah and his Comptroller, Luna M. Harmon were the signatories to said account.
During the conduct of the audit, the indictment says this account was not disclosed to the auditors by the Co-defendants Oblayon B. Nyemah and Luna M. Harmon and that of the Transactions from this account were not recorded in the cash book of LIPA.
Based upon the allegation of fraudulent expenditures and abuse of public funds by authorities of the Liberia Institute of Public Administration, the Liberia Anti-corruption Commission’s enforcement division initiated an investigation in October 2017. During the investigation, it was established that the Co-defendants Oblayon B. Nyemah, then Director General, Liberia Institute of Public Administration and Luna M. Harmon then Acting Comptroller on October 6.2015, opened and operated a United States dollars account at the International Bank Liberia Limited titled: Liberia Institute of Public Administration with account number 02-2010-036556-01 and later changed to 00121970770690102 instead of using the official name of the entity which is Liberia Institute of Public Administration, the name of the institution in whose favor the account was opened in violation of section 3, Paragraph 1&4 of the Public Finance Management Law.
The indictment further says that during the periods mentioned, it was established that the account opening package had Co-defendant Nyemah there and then serving as Director General, Liberia Institute of Public Administration and Luna M. Harmon then Acting Comptroller of LIPA “with Criminal minds commited theft , purposely, knowingly, willfully, and intentionally made themselves as A&B signatories respectively.”
In other words, the report says, there was no other person of LIPA that acted on said account in the absence of Co-defendants; all checks written on said account were exclusively signed jointly by both defendants Nyemah and Harmon.
The indictment continues:
That during the intervening periods and or thereabouts, the total funds deposited in the aforesaid account for tuition, fees and other payments to LIPA for services acquired by individuals or institutions was US$185,150.75(One hundred Eighty-five thousand, one hundred fifty and seventy-five cent).
That Co-defendants Nyemah then serving as Director General, Liberia Institute of Public Administration and Harmon, there and then serving as Acting Comptroller of LIPA with Criminal minds to commit theft, purposely, knowingly, willfully and intentionally caused the total withdrawal of US$175,975.00(one hundred seventy-five thousand nine hundred and seventy-five United States dollars) through checks.
That of the total amount withdrew and Co-defendants Nyemah and Harmon caused the payment of US$138,325.00 to Co-defendant Beford Quie then Account officer of LIPA through checks between the period October 14,16,21,22,&27, 2015; November 4&17,2015; December 2,9,17,2015; May 19,23&24,2016; August 26,2016 and December 1,2016 and that there is no evidence of goods supplied or services rendered to the Liberia Institute of Public Administration.
That during the Liberia Anti-corruption Commission’s investigation, it was also discovered that Co-defendants Nyemah and Harmon used their positions as Director General and Acting Comptroller of LIPA respectively to cause the difference of US$37,650.00 to be paid to unidentified individuals and refused to forward the name of the payees and or identified them.
Further, it was also established that the defendants did not provide documents for the expenditures of the total amount of US$175,975.00 and that this conduct of the defendants have taken, misapprociated, converted or exercised unauthorized control over the said amount was intended to deprive the government of Liberia and it people.