-As CDC Govt officials continue contradiction
By Frank Sainworla, Jr. fsainworla@yahoo.com
The heavy down pour of rain in the Liberian capital on Monday has not deterred angry Liberians, who are demanding the return of nearly 16 billion Liberian dollars, that the Liberian government had earlier admitted had gone missing without trace.
A big crowd of protesters, many of them waving tree branches and wearing black, are staging a peaceful protest on the streets of the Liberian capital, demanding the return of nearly 16 billion Liberian dollars said to have gone missing under the watch of President George Weah and his CDC government.
Organized by the “Bring back our money” coalition of local civil society, political and student groups, the demonstration started in front of the United Embassy on the Benson Street hill, where the organizers presented a statement to the American government calling for pressure to be brought on the authorities to locate the missing billions.
From the US Embassy, the protesters are marching through the main Broad Street chanting, “thief, thief, rouge-rouge…thief, thief, rouge, rouge”. Others are chanting: “We want our money, bring back our missing billions,'” while other youth mentioned the nickname of President Weah, “Country Giant” saying the Country Giant is now turning into another thing.
As the protesters made their way up Broad Street, some of the bystanders were heard saying, “those who ate the missing billions are now feeling pain in their stomach.”
In a statement over the weekend, the the Concerned Citizens United to Bring Our Money Back (COCUBOMB) said: Our ultimate and collective goal as a pro-democracy and pro-advocacy citizen action movement is to demand the full restitution of L$16 billion (US$106.6 million) that mysteriously disappeared under the CDC-led government of President George M. Weah on March 31, 2018.”
So far there has been no report of violence. The National police are escorting the “bring back our money” protesters.
At the same time, Liberians are getting confused over who is really telling the truth in the whole missing billion scandal.
The Justice Ministry on September 17, 2018 confirmed earlier reports that nine billion Liberian dollars in containers and bags got missing after they came through the Freeport of Monrovia and the country’s only international Airport, RIA and that a probe was underway. That confirmation was made in a press release signed by Attorney General, Cllr. Frank Musah Dean himself. Then hours later Information Minister Eugene Nagbe told the Voice of America that in fact the money was more than 15 billion and that the Liberian currency was printed in three countries–Sweden, Lebanon and China.
But few days later, Finance Minister Samuel Tweah came on radio to debunk the two officials’s accounts, saying that in fact no money was missing and that there was no investigation for missing containers with billions.
The Finance Minister Tweah’s outright rebuttal of any missing billions seems to have been challenged by Liberia’s Comptroller General and Secretary General of the ruling CDC, Janga Augustus Kowo, who said this on his Facebook page on hours before Monday’s street protest: “It the responsibility of the government to investigate this matter immediately and if improprieties are found, culprits will face the full volume of our country ‘s laws.”
Below is the full text of Mr. Kowo’s Facebook post of September 24, 2019:
We are greatly concern about this National situation facing our country right now.
It the responsibility of the government to investigate this matter immediately and if improprieties are found, culprits will face the full volume of our country ‘s laws.
That is the quest behind Pres. Weah’s move to set up a multifaceted and independent investigation team, which includes the U.S Federal Bureau of Investigation(FBI), that will be charged to reveal the truth.
We believe that the situation that we are faced with, until investigated, has the propensity to have many interpretations and may prompt protests like the one pending for Monday.
However, we urge that whatever stance that is taken by some of the Liberian people or other groups, should be of peace and of patience until this matter which is undergoing investigation, comes to a logical conclusion.
The CDC led government stays true to its commitment of weeding out corruption in our system and improving the lives of the Liberian people.
This government that is 8 months old, remains resolved on serving the Liberian people and implementing an agenda that is directed at improving the lives and infrastructures of Liberia.
#westandcommittedtojusticeandpeace