Just a day after they were released on bail, President George Manneh Weah has, with immediate effect, suspended the National Housing Authority (NHA) Managing Director, Mr. Duannah Siryon and his Deputies, an Executive Mansion press statement says on Wednesday.
Also suspended “until otherwise order” are NHA’s Managing Director for Administration, Mr. Tugbeh C. Tugbeh and Mr. Isaac Roberts, the NHA’s Deputy Managing Director for Technical Services.
President has mandated the three suspended officials turn over all government properties and relevant documents in their possessions.
The Liberian leader’s action comes just a day after the three officials, who have been charged with alleged bribery, theft and economic sabotage, were released on bail from the Monrovia Central Prison on Tuesday.
They along with two others were released after a Writ of Mandamus before the Chambers Justice at the Supreme Court Sie-A-Nyene Yuoh.
According to the Executive Mansion, “the three officials are being investigated in connection with their roles in an alleged act of fraud at the NHA.”
Criminal Court “A” in Monrovia last month placed travel restrictions on the NHA executives and a Liberian representative of a Burkinabae construction company.
The men were ordered not to leave Liberia during the course of ongoing investigations relating to their alleged involvement in the crime of bribery, which is a felony. Bribery is a violation of Section 1.3.2 of the National Code of Conduct Act.
FrontpageAfrica news outlet in November revealed audio recording of an alleged bribery transaction between the Gelpaz Liberia Construction, represented by Augustus Weah, who complained of be pressured by the NHA officials to give bribe in a contract to up to 5,000 affordable houses for needy Liberians, is owned by a Burkinabé magnate.
This company has a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to build 100 affordable homes as a pilot project to be followed by additional 400 and then the rest will follow.