MONROVIA – Since the Speaker of the 55th Legislature Richard Nagbe Koon recently announced the appointment of former Liberia Anti-Corruption Commission (LACC) Chairperson Cllr. James N. Verdier as Senior Legal Consultant and Chief of Staff in the Speaker’s office, Wonderr Koryenen Freeman, a former attorney, economist, and certified financial crimes specialist at the Financial Intelligence Agency (FIA), is not mincing his strong criticism of Verdier.
On Saturday, August 30, 2025, Freeman revealed another criticism of the appointment. In a statement he wrote: “Speaker Accounting Koon, here is additional information on your new employee. In September 2014, LACC investigators, hot on the trail of an oil block consultation corruption scandal, seized USD 12,500 from the late Michael Allison and Adolf Lawrence (also late). James Verdier took possession of that money. Up to this date, Cllr. Verdier has never accounted for that money, USD 12,500. Counsellor Verdier, it’s been 11 years since you took that money for safekeeping, where is it? It’s time for us to talk about some of the things you did at LACC. That USD 12,500 does not belong to you. It is a fruit of crime and belongs to the State.”
It can be recalled that days following Verdier’s appointment, Freeman issued a statement on Thursday, August 28, 2025, arguing that Verdier’s previous tenure as Chairman of the LACC was marred by misconduct. “You see, this is why the message of Project NTR is very important. We can’t keep recycling the same old corruption politicians and expect Liberia to get better.” Simply not possible!” Freeman said.
He continued: “Take James N. Verdier, now appointed to a top position at the Speaker’s Office. This Counsellor-at-Law and former Professor at Law was once appointed as Chairperson of the LACC, and all he did there was to carry out corrupt acts at the Anti-Corruption Commission. Just imagine that! Never mind that he was on a USD 10,000 salary, drove an USD 80,000 vehicle, and managed a multi-million-dollar budget, but in the end, former employee tax rebates, that didn’t belong to him nor the LACC, was what he decided he must take by all means possible.”
Freeman recalled that Verdier and the LACC were dragged to court over tax rebates belonging to private citizens. “Unfortunately, for him, he ‘ate’ money belonging to the Liberian nonconformist, and as you can expect, Mr. Verdier and the LACC were dragged to court. They lost the case, lost their appeal, and the judge ordered Verdier and the LACC to ‘cough up’ a total of USD 67,000 belonging to eight persons. For many years, the LACC refused to pay until the Ministry of Finance paid this money. My witnesses are not across the river. They are in Liberia and many still work for the LACC,” Freeman noted.
In a scathing conclusion, Freeman questioned the decision to recycle Verdier into a key government role. “How in the world can you recycle such an individual in government? Why are these guys so determined to destroy Liberia? Why give such an individual a second chance to squander opportunity? Why?” he asked.
