MONROVIA, LIBERIA – A corruption scandal has erupted at the National Housing Authority (NHA) following allegations that two senior officials illegally sold public lands, raising serious concerns about integrity within the NHA. Women Voices newspaper first reported the matter on January 31, 2025, citing a leaked Executive Mansion investigative report detailing how Alex Reily, Deputy Managing Director for Technical Services, and Prince Bonnah, Deputy Managing Director for Administration, were implicated in unauthorized land transactions.
According to the Women Voices report, the NHA leadership was first alerted to the alleged misconduct on July 23, 2024, after Reily engaged in a questionable transaction with the Seventh-Day Adventist Church in the New Georgia Estate Community. The church reportedly paid L$110,000 to Reily in an effort to resolve a land dispute. However, official records showed that only L$90,000 was documented on a receipt issued under his signature and stamp, while the remaining L$20,000 was unaccounted for. The report further revealed that Reily personally invited a deacon from the church to his office, assuring him that he could settle the conflict, only for the payment to be mishandled in a suspicious manner.
Further investigations uncovered that the receipt used in the transaction bore serial number 7501, part of a missing batch from the agency’s financial office. When confronted, Reily reportedly admitted to receiving the money in the name of the NHA but claimed the transaction was legitimate. However, NHA management rejected his explanation and ordered him to return the missing receipt book. Despite these instructions, he allegedly refused to comply, fueling suspicions that the book was being used for unauthorized sales of public property.
The controversy deepened on August 27, 2024, when the NHA was alerted to another suspicious land sale, this time involving Deputy Managing Director for Administration Prince Bonnah. According to Women Voices, Bonnah allegedly facilitated the sale of public land in Zayzay Community, Paynesville, in exchange for US$1,500. The transaction was documented with a receipt bearing serial number 7514, which included his official stamp and signature. The buyer, Mrs. Famatta Wesseh, later reported that she never received the land and sought police intervention to reclaim her money.
Before law enforcement could act, NHA’s Human Resource Manager reportedly stepped in, urging Mrs. Wesseh to handle the matter internally. She later filed a formal complaint with NHA leadership, prompting an internal probe. Investigators found that both Reily and Bonnah had engaged in unauthorized transactions and were using official NHA receipts to process these illicit land sales. The men were once again ordered to surrender the receipt book, but their continued resistance raised further concerns about the extent of the fraudulent activities.
As public outrage grew, independent journalists conducted their own inquiries, visiting NHA-controlled sites in Logan Town, Bushrod Island, and Zayzay Community. On January 30, 2025, multiple residents corroborated reports that public lands were being sold under questionable circumstances. In Logan Town, a well-known resident, Paul Kerkulah, disclosed that large portions of land in the Babylon area had been sold off by the accused officials. He and other locals claimed that two unnamed township workers were acting as intermediaries, marketing and selling public lands under Reily and Bonnah’s direction.
Community members expressed deep frustration over what they described as systemic corruption within the NHA. They alleged that political connections were shielding the accused officials from immediate repercussions, making it difficult for victims to seek justice. Reports of additional unauthorized land sales have since surfaced, fueling concerns that this scheme may have been ongoing for months, if not years. The unfolding scandal has intensified calls for accountability and swift government action.
Responding to the allegations, Bonnah denied any involvement in land sales, calling the accusations baseless. He acknowledged being a Logan Town resident but insisted he had never engaged in any illegal transactions involving NHA properties. He confirmed knowing Famatta Wesseh but rejected claims that he received money from her. When questioned about the receipt bearing his official stamp, he distanced himself from the evidence, asserting that the signature on the document was not his, though he failed to clarify whose signature it was.
Reily also dismissed the allegations, claiming he was unaware of any illegal land deals. He denied knowledge of the leaked Executive Mansion investigative report and suggested that he was being unfairly targeted. His denials, however, contradict multiple witness statements and findings from both internal and independent investigations.
