The Now Unproven Allegations Claimed That As Minister Of State In Weah’s CDC Gov’t He Had Over 700 Ghost Names On Payroll
PHOTO: Sen. Nathaniel McGill
By K. Ericson Sayee, Contributing Writer
Monrovia–The Liberia Anti-Corruption Commission (LACC) has found Senator Nathaniel F. McGill innocent of alleged payroll padding at the Ministry of State for Presidential Affairs during his tenure in the government of former President George Weah between 2018-2023.
The payroll padding allegations against Nathaniel F. McGill centered mainly on a supplementary payroll created at the Ministry of State for Presidential Affairs during his tenure. Over 700 names existed at the ministry as it was alleged that action of the then minister was outside of the framework of the Civil Service Agency (CSA), which normally regulates government employment and payroll, costing the government around US$ 2.62 million annually in salaries.
In an official statement clearing the Margibi County Senator, the LACC says despite series of concerns raised by the government which led to launching an investigation, the probe perused and examined available records and documents which proved that there is no probable cause to initiate prosecution of the former CDC Minister.
“Upon thorough examination of the facts and available evidence, it has been determined that there is no probable cause to pursue legal criminal proceedings against the said individual/ company. Accordingly, no charges have been filed, and the case has been closed,” the LACC declared in its report.
Predicated upon the investigation carried out by the LACC, with no sufficient evidence that warrants indictment that would lead to prosecution, the institution declared and cleared him, noting that the investigation comes to an end as it could not find him guilty of the allegations.
“This clearance is issued based on the findings of the investigation and does not serve as an endorsement or guarantee beyond the scope of the specific inquiry conducted,” the LACC stated.
Meanwhile, the LACC has issued a clearance certificate on February 3, 2026, under the mandate of the Executive Chairperson of the entity. The case reference number for the investigation is 0521.
The certificate also indicates that additional verification or inquiries regarding the matter may be directed to a designated contact person provided in the document.
Sen. McGill’s summoning by the LACC came as a result of a damning audit report by the General Auditing Commission (GAC). The GAC reported there was no evidence that the Ministry developed policies to regulate the hiring and management of supplementary personnel. The audit revealed that 739 staff members were listed under the supplementary payroll, with an annual salary expense of US$2,622,060.
The GAC further noted there was no evidence that the Ministry budgeted and reported the salaries of supplementary personnel as a unique line item in the approved budget and financial/expenditure reports. Instead, the salaries were financed by reallocating funds from other budget items, including consultancy fees, without the required approval from the Deputy Minister of Budget and the Civil Service Agency.
Sen. McGill and several other former CDC government officials are still under United States government’s sanction for a range of corruption and other related charges, with no indictment or trial several years after the sanctions were imposed on them.