FLASHBACK: Huge consignment of cocaine confiscated by security forces recently
The Acting Director/Officer-In-Charge of the Financial Intelligence Agency (FIA), Emmanuel T. Gee has disclosed that no Liberian business was found to be linked or associated with the most recent illicit substance/ consignment that was shipped into Liberia.
According to him, the Ministry of Justice (MoJ) released a statement concerning ongoing investigation into a stockpile of illicit drugs allegedly seized in Montserrado County, Liberia by officials of the National Security Agency (NSA) and Liberia Drug Enforcement Agency (LDEA) that triggered the FIA to intensified a detailed investigation regarding the enforcement of tax compliance among companies operating in Liberia.
With extensive US security assistance, Liberian security forces managed to seize a consignment of cocaine hidden in a large shipment of frozen chicken products that came from Brazil said to worth US$100 million.
“As Chairman of the Inter-Ministerial Committee on Anti-Money Laundering and Terrorist Financing and Proliferation Financing (AML/CFT & P) regime\ issues in Liberia, the Ministry of Justice released its findings of preliminary investigation conducted which indicated no Liberian business was found to be linked or associated with the illicit substance/ consignment shipped into country, which is good for Liberia’s image and the promotion of Liberian owned businesses.
He continues: “as the Financial Intelligence Agency (FIA) implements its normal statutory functions, the Agency wishes to clarify that it is not investigating or analyzing the referenced case, nor is the Agency investigating any company- local or international- linked to or involved thereto.”
The FIA Acting Director/ Officer In Charge, however says, due to prevalence of
tax evasion in Liberia as established by the Country’s anti-money laundering and terrorist financing risk assessment/ National Risk Assessment Report (NRA), coupled with open-source information (OSI) and available records, several tax fraud matters have been currently opened for preliminary investigations by the Financial Intelligence Agency.