PHOTO: Henry Costa’s poster with Brownie Samukai
By Nathan P. Charles
Liberia’s largest followed talk show on social media, ‘The Costa Show’, hosted by the leader of the Council of Patriots, Henry P. Costa has initially accepted to help solicit money from thousands of Liberians and supporters around the world to help pay the 1.4 million dollars Senator-elect of Lofa County, Brownie Samukai was convicted for and ordered to refund the cash or serve a two year jail sentence.
Henry Costa argues that former Defense Minister Samukai did not steal the money as was verified by several witness including the Current Defense Minister, Maj.Gen. Daniel Ziankahn, (RET) and high-ranking Army officials during the trial of the case.
He said the action from the CDC government headed by George Weah to prosecute Samukai is a ‘political witch -hunt’ and as such it must not be accepted. “If you feel Brownie them misused the money why did you pay four hundred sixty thousand of the money back, my people the question here is why the hell did they pay $4.6 thousand back?”
On his social media platform Thursday February 18, 2021, he wonder how you can the government paid some of the money and revert to taking the former Defense minister and co- officials to court for the same cash which they initially agreed to pay back.
Mr. Costa said he’s not here to shield the misuse of the Army pension cash, but it was clear that the money was used following instructions given Mr. Samukai by his boss, former Liberian leader Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf who committed the AFL to take up peace mission in Mali.
Giving a condition to help raise the cash, Mr. Costa said, before he rally his supporters from around the world, Mr. Samukai must first call a press conference and provide all details and supporting proofs to the public about his role in the AFL pension money saga which the court convicted him for.
He said thou it is clear that Senator Samukai did not used the cash for his personal gain, but such information was again necessary to the public aimed at showing more transparency to his supporters or those with doubts.
The Criminal Court ‘C’ on Tuesday March 24, 2020 found former Liberian Samukai and his deputies guilty of corruption, but Defense Lawyers took exception to the ruling and announced that they will file Appeal to the Supreme Court.
Mr. Samukai had been facing trial for misappropriating some US$1.3 million. His leadership of the Armed Forces of Liberia had received huge amounts for the AFL’s Compulsory Contributing Fund, which the Government of Liberia had sent to the Ecobank Liberia, Ltd. It included US460,000.00 in addition to US$687,656.35, making a total sum of US$1,147,665.35.
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