MONROVIA – President Joseph Nyuma Boakai has swiftly suspended three senior officials of the Liberia Refugee Repatriation and Resettlement Commission (LRRRC) following grave allegations of financial misconduct. The suspensions—affecting Executive Director Patrick Worzie, Deputy Executive Director for Operations Richard Hoff, and Deputy Executive Director for Administration AJ Armah Karneh—will remain in effect without pay while the Liberia Anti-Corruption Commission (LACC) conducts a thorough investigation, according to a statement released today by Presidential Press Secretary Madam Kula Bonah Nyei Fofana.
The Executive Mansion’s announcement follows a report submitted to the President’s Office, which raised concerns over questionable financial transactions involving these officials. As part of the directive, President Boakai instructed all suspended personnel to surrender any government or LRRRC assets to the Commission’s Human Resource Director, who will assume immediate oversight responsibilities. The President emphasized that full cooperation with the LACC is required to ensure a transparent and expedited investigation.
This disciplinary action aligns with President Boakai’s commitment to fostering ethical governance and enhancing transparency across government institutions. “The President remains dedicated to ensuring accountability and the promotion of transparency in all government institutions,” the statement concluded.
The suspension follows allegations brought forward by anti-corruption activist Martin K. N. Kollie, who revealed that over $1.5 million was siphoned through more than 700 fraudulent receipts for nonexistent returnees between May and July 2024. Kollie, founder of the investigative team at Verity News, disclosed that his team uncovered extensive evidence of fraudulent activities within the LRRRC, including fake receipts, checks from the Central Bank of Liberia (CBL), bank statements, and lists of nonexistent returnees.
“We have all the documentary evidence, including over 700 fake receipts with ghost returnees, over 200 CBL checks, fake catering contractors, two bank statements (in LRD and USD), and memos. Payments amounting to over $1.5 million were approved by the Ministry of Finance and Development Planning (MFDP) and disbursed by the CBL in four instalments based on these fake receipts through two operational bank accounts,” Kollie explained. The disbursements reportedly included payments of $486,027, $450,000, $225,000, and $374,000.
Kollie further alleged that while many original returnees did not receive their rightful resettlement packages, LRRRC officials inflated the number of returnees to pocket more funds. “Returnees are far below 1,500. Some original returnees are willing to testify that they didn’t receive a dime or only got a fraction of what was due to them,” he stated.
The LRRRC had recently submitted a report to President Boakai, claiming it had facilitated the repatriation of 1,539 returnees from Ghana. However, an insider at the commission has disputed this figure, asserting that the true number is closer to 700. “It’s a scam,” the source claimed. “They inflated the number to get more money from the government to pocket it. They’ve dumped those vulnerable returnees in various communities to suffer after eating almost all of their money.”
Based on LRRRC’s report, the government allocated $1,535,027 for the resettlement of these returnees, disbursing the funds in installments that have since become a focus of scrutiny due to suspected fraudulent transactions. Bank statements from two LRRRC operational accounts obtained by Kollie reportedly reveal hundreds of unauthorized transactions, naming Worzie, Karneh, and Hoff as key figures behind the scheme.
In a call for urgent action, Kollie urged the Liberia Anti-Corruption Commission (LACC) and the General Auditing Commission (GAC) to fully investigate the alleged scandal. “We demand full accountability. Our job as activists is to protect the public interest from state criminals and fraudsters who are keeping our people in poverty through institutionalized thievery,” he said. Kollie confirmed that he had sent copies of the evidence to the LACC, the Office of the Auditor General, and international organizations such as Transparency International, Global Witness, and Human Rights Watch.
