-Says Regional Rights group, as it lauds President Weah for the GAC audit
The Executive Director of the Regional Human Rights group in Liberia has welcomed President George Weah’s mandate to the General Auditing Commission (GAC) to investigate the US$ 25 million Mop-up Exercise.
Attorney Tola Thompson Adebayor is however warning against any interference by state actors during the audit process to uphold the independence of the GAC. According to the Regional Human Rights Group, Liberia’s international image and credibility remain at a cross-road over the recent alleged missing 16 billion Liberian dollars.
Mr. Adebayor told the state broadcaster, ELBC radio in Monrovia recently that: “The outcome of the GAC’s investigation into the mop-up exercise of the 25-million United States Dollars could either damage or rebuild the country’s image.”
Early this month (March 2019), President Weah requested the General Auditing Commission to do an investigative audit into how the US$25 million given for MopUp exercise was expanded.
The Executive Mansion announced that President Weah’s request was given through a directive to Justice Minister, Musah Dean.
It said that the directive grew out of the Presidential Investigative Team’s report, which calls for a ‘forensic investigation’ of the entire mop-up exercise carried out by the Central Bank of Liberia (CBL), and the report done by Kroll – an institution of international repute which was commissioned by the U.S. Government.
The CBL is part of the Technical Economic Management Team, which is headed by Finance Minister Samuel Tweah. And President Weah last Jusly ordered the EMT to carry out the exercise.
The Kroll Associates Incorporated report speaks of gross discrepancies and calls for ‘further understanding’ of how the exercise was conducted
The Presidential Investigative Team (PIT) report also speaks of gross discrepancies in the handling of the MopUP exercise and goes even further by said the implementation of the exercise bordered on criminality.
The GAC is given a two-week mandate to report on their findings.
Meanwhile, the Liberian human rights NGO executive also wants the government to formulate implementable communication strategies aimed at protecting and upholding the country’s democratic values on free-speech and of the Press. Liberian Journalist Jos Garneo Cephas Sr. contributed to this report.