Big Names Implicated As Citizens Demand Accountability
By Ezekiel Geeplay, ezekielgeeplay.106.5@gmail.com
GREENVILLE, Liberia– Sinoe County residents are expressing outrage over the mismanagement of the County’s development funds, allegedly involving top local officials and Lawmakers
The funds, earmarked for critical infrastructure projects across the county, have reportedly disappeared without a trace, leaving many of the planned developments unfulfilled.
In the 2021/2022 fiscal year, Sinoe County received $400,000 USD from the national government as its annual development fund. A three-day county sitting was held to decide how this money should be allocated. Local and national leaders, along with stakeholders, participated in this session, which resulted in a resolution specifying various projects to be undertaken across the county’s three electoral districts.
According to the resolution, each district was allocated $95,000 USD to address priority needs. However, residents now accuse their legislators and local leadership of embezzling these funds, with not a single project completed as per the resolution.
Allegations of Mismanagement
In a recent interview in Greenville, Rancy Quayee, a youth activist and representative of one of the electoral districts, voiced his disappointment. “We are highly disappointed in our outgoing local leadership and the Sinoe Legislative Caucus who have oversight for the mismanagement of $400,000 USD. Not one of those projects was executed or completed across the three electoral districts,” Quayee stated.
Quayee pointed to several critical projects, including the construction, completion, and rehabilitation of administrative buildings, guest houses, and city halls, which were included in the resolution but remain either not started or complete.
Investigation Reveals Inaction
An investigation conducted by our fellow has uncovered disturbing details about the status of these projects. In Butaw, an electoral district that was allocated $15,000 USD for the rehabilitation of its administrative building, the structure remains in a deplorable state, with local officials forced to work from home.
Current Photo of Butaw Administrative Building
Dennis Jarbah, an elder and resident of Butaw Junction, confirmed that no work has been done on the building since the county sitting in early 2023.
Jarbah expressed confusion over the situation, saying, “Since the county sitting was held, we have not seen any implementation from the resolution. Our administrative building rehabilitation is yet to be achieved.”
Jarbah also called for an audit from 2022 to December 2023 to provide total accountability for the $400,000 USD allocated for these development projects. He accused the representatives of the three electoral districts of being complicit in the mismanagement, citing their lack of oversight and apparent financial benefits from the funds.
Widespread Abandonment of Projects
The issue in Butaw is not isolated. Other districts in Sinoe have also seen projects abandoned following the disbursement of funds. In Kabada, the administrative seat of Kpanyan, the sole administrative building remains in a state of disrepair, despite $15,000 USD being allocated for its renovation.
Current Photo of the Kabada Administrative Building in Kpanyan District
A detailed breakdown of the projects outlined in the 13th Development Sitting resolution includes:
– Rehabilitation and furnishing of the Administrative Building in Kabada, Kpanyan District: $25,000 USD
– Completion of Seebeh Administrative Building in Kpanyan District: $25,000 USD
– Rehabilitation of Jonestone Street/adjacent F.J. Grant Hospital in Greenville District: $25,000 USD
-Rehabilitation of Butaw Administrative Building in Butaw Administrative District: $15,000 USD
– Construction of Administrative Building with seven rooms, a conference hall, and bathrooms in Diyankpo City, Jadea Statutory District:$32,000 USD
– **Completion of Karquakpo City Guest House, Dugba River District (Furnishing, Solarization, and Hand Pump Installation): $31,000 USD
– Construction of City Hall within Pelekon City, Seekon Statutory District:** $19,000 USD
– Completion of Neequaih Public School, Sanquin Statutory District: $14,000 USD
Copy of the 13th Development Sitting Resolution
Despite the resolution’s ambitious agenda, most of these projects remain incomplete or have not begun.
Leadership Response
In response to the allegations, former Sinoe District-3 Representative Hon. Matthew G. Zarzar acknowledged the allocation of funds but claimed his oversight function was limited due to the election and subsequent weather conditions. “The sourcing of the funding, procurement, and execution are all executive functions. My oversight was moot after the elections, and the legislature has no signatory to the account nor procurement function,” Zarzar explained.
Sinoe County Senior Senator Augustine Chea added that project implementation is the responsibility of the local government, while legislative oversight is confined to the allocation of funds and the review of implementation reports from the county superintendent.
Meanwhile, Senator Crayton Duncan who’s also the chairperson of the county legislative body said he’s aware of the sitting but said he’s suprised that up to now following the resolution, there’s no result to show as progress on those resoluted projects.
Senator Duncan said he has written the LACC, IAA and GAC to conduct a forensic adult of Sinoe County local administration from 2021 to 2023.
He said while it’s true he has oversight function, but he said responsibility was given the outgoing local leadership of Superintendent Lee Nagbe Chea to ensure those projects are implemented but nothing absolutely was achieved, accused the local leadership of being responsible for the abandonment
Corruption Scandal Unfolds
The scandal deepened when it was revealed that former Superintendent of Sinoe County, Lee Nagbe Chea, is at the center of a major corruption investigation. During the induction ceremony of the current superintendent, Hon. Peter Wleh Nyensweh, Chea claimed his administration left over $73,000 USD and more than 30 million Liberian dollars in Sinoe’s account. However, a bank statement from the Central Bank of Liberia, obtained by investigators, contradicts his claims, showing a total balance of only 30,711,690.00 LRD and 48,434.00 USD.
Copy of Sinoe County Development Funds Account Statement from CBL
The evidence suggests that funds meant for county development were misappropriated, sparking widespread outrage among Sinoe residents who are demanding a thorough investigation. Local leaders and activists are calling for immediate action, emphasizing that the misuse of public funds undermines the development and welfare of the community. The disclosure from the Central Bank of Liberia is seen as a critical step in the fight against corruption, highlighting the need for greater transparency and accountability in public financial management.
As of press time, attempts to reach former Superintendent Lee Nagbe Chea for comment were unsuccessful but for his part, Alvin B. Wesseh, former Assistant Superintendent for Fiscal Affairs and Administration providing insight saying following the sitting and resolution, disbursements through financial aid that was captured were settled respectively.
But when quizzed on those infurstricture projects, Wesseh said as far as he’s concerned, only one projects he can remember doing payment for, adding that the rest of the money is into the county development account.
Photo of payment check of the Neequiah School Project In Sanquin Dist
“The only project in Sinoe that I pay eleven thousand United States Dollars towards was the Nequiah public school in Sanquin, electoral district-3 of Sinoe county. No other project was done as far I am concerned with documents in my possession” He said.
The former Sinoe fiscal superintendent said if anything is done behind his back regarding the account he’s not aware, adding that there are three signatories to the account but was unable to clarify the withdrawal mendate for the account at the bank.
“We are three who are signatures, the superintendent, the PMC and I are the on the account committee” He said.
Wesseh said the announced as bank balance by Superintendent Lee Nagbe Chea during his official turning over was not correct, adding that they local leadership in December 2023 was instructed by the Sinoe legislative caucus to diverse Twenty-Five Thousand United State Dollars resoluted for Johnstone Street bridge project to the FJ Grant Hospital for the backfilling of its ongoing solar plant project.
Copy of the Receipt from the FJ Grant Hospital Administration
“The Sinoe Caucus wrote we the local leadership in 2023 with the instruction to diverse twenty-five thousand resoluted bridge project for johnstone street to the FJ Grant as support from the county for the ongoing solar plant project and we presented such money to the hospital and the issue us receipt” he said.
On the issues of the instruction from the Sinoe legislature, Senator Crayton Duncan as chairperson confirmed given the significant of the solar plan project in the County.
“As regard to the twenty-five thousand United state dollars, all members of the caucus agreed and instructed the local leadership but not to diverse the Johnstone street bridge project money but rather to go into the county cove, because the leadership in addition to the sitting money, the met little over forty thousand united state dollars in there and that we expected them to take the twenty-five thousand instead of going into resoluted project fund” he explained.
Copy Letter from the Caucus to the Local Leadership on the Hospital Project
Wesseh, the former Fiscal Superintendent said no resoluted infrastructure projects apart from the Neequiah Public school and that of the twenty-five thousand to FJ Grant for backfilling solar plant was achieved from the 13th county sitting in Sinoe.