PHOTO: Justice Minister Cllr. Frank Musa Dean
By Garmah Never Lomo, garmahlomo@gmail.com
In the midst of huge constraints facing the Ministry of Justice and the lack of funds to prosecution to prosecute the rising number of cases, US$8,000 and millions of Liberian Dollar have mysteriously disappeared from the offices of the Ministry’s Controller.
Details surrounding about how the money went missing at the Controller, Mr. Biomah Gayflor’s offica at the Ministry of Justice in the Sinkor suburb of Monrovia is yet to be established.
A credible and highly placed source said the monies went missing on Thursday, April 22, 2021 and it is yet to be established whether the Controller is under investigation about the missing funds.
Our source further said that the Ministry of Justice has a vault where monies are kept but how the funds in question went missing remains a mystery.
But when contacted by News Public Trust via mobile phone, the Ministry of Justice Controller Biomah Gayflor declined to comment on the missing monies matter for now.
Instead of answering the questions concerning the missing monies, Mr. Gayflor insisted that the Reporter should tell him who gave her the information about the monies.
Due to the Justice Ministry’s failure to give Prosecution funds to state Lawyers, Prosecutors have threatened to Boycott the May A.D. term of court.
Some state lawyers are now crediting money to prosecute cases or sometimes use their personal monies with the hope that they will be reimbursed but it is the opposite.
One state Lawyer says it is unimaginable that with all the huge allotment given to the Ministry of Justice from the national budget and other donor support to this, it will interest you to note that County Attorneys are without vehicles and some don’t have places to sleep thereby seriously impeding their works in their respective counties.
Several state Prosecutors have told www.newspublictrust.com that in 2019 November, Prosecution funds were given to them which led them to credit at the time to prosecute cases but they were told that their Prosecution funds were used by Assert, recovery and Restitution Team where Cllr. Arthur Johnson served as chairman.
One source also informed this news outlet that transportation or purchasing of bus money are also available at controller office but said money has been pocketed by a particular group at the Ministry.
While, some junior Ministers of the Ministry of Justice are still riding updated cars that usually break down on high ways when attending official duties.
Prosecutors now received 40% of their Prosecution funds and remaining sixty percent can be given after the term of court rather than giving it to them to use it for the intended purpose.
The Justice Ministry’s Controller’s rather referred me to ask the person who gave me information since this Reporter decided to protect my source.