By Contributing Writer
MONROVIA – Investigative journalist Alfred Togba has intensified scrutiny of the Liberia Telecommunications Authority (LTA) by formally taking allegations of corruption to the General Auditing Commission (GAC) and the Liberia Anti-Corruption Commission (LACC), while raising serious concerns over transparency, procurement procedures, and the management of millions of dollars generated from Liberia’s international telecommunications gateway monitoring system.
Appearing as a guest on “OK Conversation” hosted by Julius Jeh on Monday, July 13, 2025, Togba said his campaign against the LTA Board of Commissioners is driven not by personal differences but by a determination to expose corruption and promote accountability in public institutions.
“When people are given the authority to serve in the public space, you must come to equity with clean hands,” Togba said, insisting that public officials must be held accountable regardless of personal relationships.
The journalist focused on the controversial agreement between the Government of Liberia and Telecommunications Alliance (TIA), a company contracted to monitor international incoming and outgoing calls.
According to Togba, the agreement, signed during the administration of former President George Weah, established a revenue-sharing arrangement between the government and TIA, with the LTA receiving a portion of the proceeds.
He alleged that the agreement was extended in 2022 through legislative consent without proper restructuring and in violation of Liberian law.
“The guys knew full well that election was in 2023, and telecommunications monitoring was a lucrative venture,” Togba alleged.
He further claimed that an audit conducted by the General Auditing Commission (GAC) after President Joseph Nyuma Boakai assumed office uncovered financial and administrative irregularities surrounding the TIA arrangement and recommended that the contract be cancelled, corrected, or lawfully re-awarded.
According to Togba, after President Boakai suspended the TIA contract in October 2025, the LTA temporarily assumed responsibility for operating the international gateway monitoring system.
He argued that the LTA’s management of the system demonstrated that the institution possessed the technical capacity to perform the work without outsourcing.
“During that period, there were millions of dollars that were generated and deposited into a transitory account,” Togba alleged.
He explained that under the previous arrangement, revenues generated from gateway monitoring were shared between the Government of Liberia and TIA, with the government’s portion divided between the LTA and the Consolidated Fund.
Togba, however, questioned what became of those revenues after the LTA took over the operation, alleging that funds generated during the transition period were later transferred to Numtel LLC, a newly established company.
He claimed Numtel had little or no publicly known experience in telecommunications gateway monitoring before being awarded the responsibility.
“We haven’t seen the procurement process up to now,” Togba said, adding that repeated efforts to obtain procurement documents from the Public Procurement and Concessions Commission (PPCC) had been unsuccessful.
“I can challenge any commissioner of LTA to call on this radio and tell us where the new company has ever operated such a business before,” he added.
Togba further alleged that money generated while the LTA managed the gateway monitoring system was transferred to Numtel despite the company not performing operational work during that period.
“Our source informed us that the money was given to the new company, even though they didn’t perform any job,” he claimed.
The journalist said he sought responses from LTA Board Chairman Clarence Massaquoi and Commissioner Ben Fofana, but neither responded to his calls or messages before publication.
“When this information came to us, I thought it was important, and the first thing we needed to do was to get in contact with the LTA Board of Commissioners to hear their side of the story,” Togba said.
Following publication of his reports, Togba disclosed that he had formally requested investigations by the General Auditing Commission and the Liberia Anti-Corruption Commission, urging both institutions to examine the financial transactions surrounding the gateway monitoring arrangement and determine whether public resources were lawfully managed.
The allegations have intensified public pressure on the LTA Board of Commissioners to explain the transition from TIA to Numtel LLC, disclose the procurement process, and account for revenues generated from Liberia’s international telecommunications gateway monitoring system.
The allegations made by Togba have not been independently verified. The LTA and the individuals named have not publicly responded to the specific claims outlined by the journalist.
