-Warns against “emotional outburst against the media”
Monrovia – The Press Union of Liberia (PUL) is calling for an expeditious presidential clarification to calls for the inclusion of journalists in the ongoing investigation surrounding confusion on the status of billions of Liberian dollars in the country.
On arrival to the country on Sunday from the UN General Assembly, President George Manneh Weah announced that journalists credited for breaking the LRD 16 billion disappearance will be investigated.
“So, those journalists that said LRD16 billion lost will also be in the investigation so they can tell us where the LRD16 billion go,” President Weah said.
Since the missing billion saga erupted, inconsistencies in official statements and conflicting accounts given by Liberian government officials have raised eyebrows and has led to a high level of mistrust by the public.
A PUL press release issued on Tuesday said, the journalists who broke the story and the subsequent validation from government’s chief of public relations, Information Minister Eugene Nagbe must be treated with the same level of respect and their works consider as actions in the best interest of the public.
Timeline of the “Missing Billions”
Ø Journalists Philibert Brown reports the disappearance of huge amount of cash from state coffers
Ø Ministry of Justice statement signed by Minister Frank Musa Dean announces the commissioning of an investigation
Investigation Panel:
United States’ Department of Treasury and Federal Bureau of Investigation, International Monetary Fund or IMF, National Bar Association, National Civil Society Organization, Federation of Liberian Youth, Association of Liberia Certified Public Accountants, Liberia Council of Churches and National Muslim Council of Liberia
Ø Minister Eugene Nagbe quantifies missing billions story
“You have to realize that we have a unique situation where a democratically-elected government was taking over from another democratically-elected government – so there was a transition. Now, before the transition happened the order was already in place by the government of Liberia but because we had new president one would have thought that this new president would have been informed about all of these transactions during the transition notes that was presented to him during the transition meeting but he was not aware. But I’m quite sure under our law the national legislature grants authority to the Central Bank of Liberia to print notes. In this case, it was like a carte blanche, so people just started printing money and bringing money into the country.” – “which country – some was printed in Sweden, some was printed in China, some was printed in Lebanon.” In 2016-2017 the total amount of Liberian dollars in circulation, according to the Central Bank of Liberia was put at six billion. So, the difference of sixteen billion will have a serious ripple effect on the country. It was printed in and how did it affect the foreign exchange situation in our country and I can assure you that at some time in this investigation we will call people in, people will be arrested, people will be indicted.”
Ø Former Liberian President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf took issue with the pronouncement
“I have been reliably informed that the Central Bank if Liberia has undertaken an internal investigation and in directive from the Minister Justice provided a full report to the police. The CBL has prepared a release that gives full evidence and clarification that refutes the statement of Minister Nagbe. This had been held for two days because the CBL Governor and the Minister of Justice have refused to approve the release. It is most unfortunate that the GOL would give false information that wickedly impugns the reputation of past officials and by extension the country itself.”
Ø Finance Minister Samuel Tweh says “don’t listen to Eugene”
Ø President Weah addresses the nation- calls for calm
Ø Bring Back Our Money Protest in Monrovia
Ø Civil Society Groups calls for the inclusion of independent forensic investigators from ECOWAS, the African Union (AU) and the United Nations on the investigation team set up by President George Weah to probe the alleged “missing billions in Liberian dollar banknotes.”
President Weah returns to Liberia- calls for journalists’ inclusion in investigation
“So, those journalists that said LRD16 billion lost will also be in the investigation so they can tell us where the LRD16 billion go,”
Ø Central Bank of Liberia (CBL) discloses that no money is missing
“The total amount of money printed and placed in the vaults of the bank was LRD15.5 billion for the period 2016-2018. This amount was verified from the CBL own internal documents and documents received from the Crane Currency of Sweden (the contracted printer),”
The PUL is meanwhile urging the government to officially communicate with the Union if the assistance of any journalist is needed in the ongoing investigation commissioned by it in the missing billion saga.
Doubts must not be created around our collective commitments to efforts aimed enabling the operating environment of the Media in Liberia with avoidable sporadic emotional outbursts against the media, the PUL averred.
In another development, PUL President Charles B. Coffey, Jr. has departed the country for the Association of Liberian Journalists in the Americas (ALJA) 2018 National Convention.
The Association of Liberian Journalists in the Americas (ALJA) National Convention will be held in Minneapolis, Minnesota, beginning Thursday, 4thOctober through Sunday, 7th October 2018.
Several local and diaspora based Liberian Journalists, American Media Development Organizations and other partners of the Liberian Media will form part of the international stakeholders’ conference under the theme “Improved Media and Government Relationship: Recipe for a Stable and Peaceful Liberia”.
Delegates to the convention will deliberate on the prevailing political situation in Liberia, with particular focus on President George M. Weah and the Coalition for Democratic Change (CDC) administration’s governance of the country.
While away from the country, the Vice President of the Press Union of Liberia, Octavin Williams will act pending the arrival of the Union’s President to the country.