By Socrates Smythe Saywon | Smart News Liberia
MONROVIA — Former Liberia National Police (LNP) senior officer Johnny Bolar Dean has rejected claims that he was dismissed from the police force over armed robbery and criminal conspiracy allegations, saying official records show that he was cleared of the allegations, reinstated and subsequently promoted before voluntarily resigning.
Dean made the clarification in a statement on Wednesday, August 19, 2026, responding to recent public comments and social media publications concerning his previous service with the LNP and allegations linking him to criminal activities.
He said the claims have created a misleading account of his departure from the police, prompting him to publicly set out what he described as the documented history of the case.
According to Dean, he served the LNP for several years and held senior positions within the Crime Services Division. In 2016, he and 10 other police officers became subjects of an investigation following allegations of police impropriety.
Dean said the investigation involved the LNP and the Ministry of Justice and was subsequently handled through the Office of the then Solicitor General, Cllr. Betty Lamin-Blamo.
He maintained that he cooperated fully with the investigation and respected the institutional processes through which the allegations were examined.
Dean stressed that being investigated does not, in itself, establish criminal responsibility or professional misconduct.
He argued that allegations must be distinguished from findings reached after an examination of the available evidence, particularly in matters involving law enforcement officers.
The former officer said the investigation ultimately resulted in his exoneration from allegations of armed robbery and criminal conspiracy.
He pointed to an official communication dated April 10, 2017, in which, according to him, the LNP informed him that the allegations had not been established because of insufficient evidence.
Dean said the decision also resulted in the lifting of his suspension and his return to active duty.
He further stated that the LNP administration resolved that he should be promoted to the rank of Chief Superintendent, subject to the applicable promotion process.
According to Dean, the outcome was not kept confidential but was publicly reported by The New Dawn newspaper in its April 11, 2017 edition following the LNP’s announcement.
He therefore strongly disputed recent descriptions of him as having been “booted out” or dismissed from the police over the allegations.
Dean said that more than a year after his exoneration and reinstatement, he voluntarily resigned from the LNP on May 1, 2018, to pursue another professional opportunity.
He said the police formally acknowledged his resignation in a communication dated May 10, 2018, thanked him for his service and working relationship with the institution, and wished him well in his future endeavors.
“Let me therefore be absolutely clear,” Dean said, arguing that he was never dismissed, terminated or removed from the LNP because of the armed robbery or criminal conspiracy allegations.
He maintained that the official record instead shows a sequence of investigation, exoneration, reinstatement, promotion and eventual voluntary resignation.
Dean also rejected claims linking him to an alleged drug trafficking organization, describing such assertions as completely unfounded.
He said he has no connection to any drug cartel and accused unnamed individuals of attempting to create such an association through speculation and repetition of claims that have not been substantiated.
“I am not connected to any drug cartel,” Dean stated, insisting that there is no factual basis for associating him with such an organization.
His statement comes as Liberia continues to investigate a major narcotics trafficking case involving several senior security officials and allegations of corruption within the security sector.
Dean also addressed a separate allegation involving an alleged US$10,000 bribe, saying the matter remains under investigation.
Rather than publicly litigating the allegation, he said he intends to cooperate with investigators and allow the process to proceed based on evidence.
The former police official said his experience as a career law enforcement officer has taught him the importance of allowing investigations to be conducted without interference or premature judgments.
He therefore declined to provide an extensive public defense of the current bribery allegation while the investigation remains active.
Dean said he would address the matter in greater detail after investigators complete their work.
He also urged the public to distinguish between allegations, speculation and established facts, particularly when discussing his police record.
According to Dean, the events surrounding the 2016 investigation were resolved more than nine years ago and should not be conflated with the current investigation.
He argued that the two matters should be considered separately, with the earlier case judged on its documented outcome and the current allegation determined by the evidence produced through the ongoing investigation.
Dean’s intervention comes amid heightened public scrutiny of the LNP following the country’s unprecedented narcotics investigations, including allegations involving police personnel and other security officials.
The controversy has generated competing claims about the conduct and accountability of senior law enforcement officials, increasing pressure for investigations to be transparent and evidence-based.
For Dean, however, the immediate issue is what he describes as an attempt to rewrite his professional history by presenting an investigation that ended in exoneration as a dismissal.
He said he remained silent about the matter for years because he believed the official record would speak for itself and because he considered institutional professionalism more important than engaging in public disputes.
That silence, he said, should not be interpreted as acceptance of allegations that had already been investigated and resolved.
Dean maintained that his service record is supported by official documentation and publicly reported decisions of the LNP.
He called on the public to rely on verifiable evidence rather than repeated allegations when assessing his past service and current circumstances.
As the present bribery investigation continues, Dean said he would remain cooperative and allow investigators to determine the facts.
He concluded by maintaining that the truth about both his past service and the current allegation should ultimately be established through evidence rather than speculation.
“My record is documented, the facts are verifiable, and the truth will ultimately be established by evidence,” Dean said.
