Former Liberian Auditor General and the man who will be key in President-elect Joe Boakai’s anti-corruption drive, John S. Morlu is demanding Liberians who took public funds in the name of loans must restitute all funds immediately. John Morlu specifically named former Deputy Finance Minister, James Kollie and other who took public funds in name of loan to repay without delay. See full statement of Mr. Morlu:
This is a widely requested retexting, so I am resubmitting it. Let James Kollie and others repay the loans. This isn’t an audit or investigation; we demand the repayment of numerous loan schemes. Kollie’s schemes favored CDC, disadvantaging UP supporters, creating a storm against Boakai in 2017. These are facts. The corrupt and the corrupted want a fight now they have it with us. We are in the majority at 50.6% or more.
We are launching a decisive campaign against corruption, and Joe Boakai has unequivocally pledged to reclaim misappropriated funds. Liberian officials have brazenly devised various deceptive schemes, ostensibly in support of the impoverished or private sector, only to channel funds into political favors. These so-called loan initiatives, purportedly aimed at fostering business and job creation, have instead become vehicles for patronage, leaving the hardworking citizens without employment opportunities. This blatant misuse of Liberian taxpayers’ money is not only unjust but reprehensible.
Consequently, we are initiating a rigorous asset recovery process, demanding a full account and prompt repayment of outstanding loans, complete with compounding interest. These loans, falsely taken under the guise of fostering business ventures, have hindered the growth of a dynamic private sector that is essential for job creation. It is imperative to rectify this longstanding issue, as genuine Liberians aspiring to establish businesses are neglected while political cronies thrive on ill-gotten gains.
We assertively call upon all those who have taken advantage of these loan schemes and have yet to fulfill their obligations to rectify this by 3 PM on January 22, 2024. Joe Boakai and his dedicated team require every available resource to address Liberia’s myriad financial challenges. The funds recuperated from these deceitful loan schemes will be channeled towards crucial priorities, such as providing desks for school children and deploying ambulances across the nation.
Among the identified fraudulent loan schemes are:
1. Weah’s Small Business Pro-Poor Development Fund (SBPDF).
2. James Kollie managed Finance Ministry’s Private Sector Development Initiative (PSDI).
3. Robert L. Johnson’s $30 Million Direct Investments in Liberia.
4. Mills Jones’s poverty doctor $5 million loans scheme managed by Foreign Minister Mr. Dee Maxwell Kemayah.
5. NASCORP loan schemes documented in the Knuckles Gate Scandal by Professor Edwood Dunn.
These schemes are undeniable, supported by irrefutable evidence, and there is no room for debate. It is time for those responsible to refund all misappropriated loans across the government, redirecting these funds towards essential investments like providing furniture for children and addressing urgent national needs. The time for accountability is now.
John Morlu talks a lot, and he seems to love his echo. It’s doubtful if the [incoming] UP gov’t is committed to an all-out investigation. It’s doubtful if they can even commit to an investigation commencing at least from Ellen/UP 2nd term (i.e., from 2012]). An investigation starting from 2012 seems like a good compromise. But will they do it? In Liberia, we just talk and talk, when we are out of power, and when we take power we settle for business as usual. The power brokers in Liberia, most of them have a long track record of graft and freeloading on the public treasury. Waging an all-out war on corruption is the last thing on the mind. The National Legislature received about 650m USD in the past 12 years, and they have spent that money without a single audit or annual report(s). Many of the “new” leaders got their “wealth” by helping themselves to the public treasury, becoming millionaires, as Liberia have gotten poorer and poorer generally. Millionaires like Fallah/McGill/Tweahway [CDC], Tyler/Koung/PYJ/ [UP] are the “new leaders” Will they commit to a comprehensive investigation (at least from 2012?).
Millionaire like BJ Samukai, a ranking member of the Rescue Mission, still has 1m USD of the AFL soldiers’ money in his pocket. He was convicted, commuted, and given 150 years to repay. I still think that “agreement”, though sanctioned by the court, is illegal, and needs to be re-open for investigation. But will the “Rescue Mission” not implode if they take such route? It is not about BJ Samukai, it’s about the AFL soldiers that he robbed. They need justice for the harm done to them. Because people like BJ Samukai got off easily, the crime is being recycle with the EPS officers now crying foul. Investigating corruption is NOT for nice people. It’s for people with “dirty-way”. All this audit and investigation talk, for the most part, is just “MOUTH-TALK”. When people speak of anti-corruption investigations and audits, they are basically talking about investigating their political opponents (plain and simple). It remains to be seen what UP 2.0 will bring. We will give them the benefit of the doubt. But if I were John Morlu, I’d just play if cool, before his plenty talk ignites an alliance of strange bedfellows.