The NEWS (Monrovia)
Sheriff Z. Adams
16 September 2008
Monrovia — Sequence of incriminating e-mail exchanges involving former Presidential Aide Willis Knuckles and a host of other players in officialdom appears to be hunting the political image of President Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf not only in Liberia, but abroad as well.
The Liberian leader admits that the issue surrounding the Knucklesgate-II is not only despicable, but embarrassing.
"I am hurt I am deeply wounded and we are sad about this because it is very embarrassing " President Sirleaf told a news conference Monday at the Foreign Ministry.
The extent of damage done on President Sirleaf's political image as a result of the e-mail scam involving Mr. Knuckles who is alleged to have solicited money from expatriate companies (using the name of the President) to secure for them government contracts, seems to have far-reaching implications.
President Sirleaf said since the emergence of Knucklesgate-II, she continues to receive calls from individuals overseas who said they could not believe what's obtaining because they knew her record.
"I am deeply wounded by that because I know what I stand for," she reiterated.
In the wake of ongoing investigation, President Sirleaf said Mr. Knuckles has been requested to keep his distance from around the presidency pending the conclusion of the probe.
The President also announced that the Liberia Telecommunications Authority (LTA) has written the management of Cellcom, a mobile phone company, requesting that Mr. Knuckles should step aside as Chairman of the company's board pending the conclusion of the investigation.
Interestingly, the question about Knuckles serving concurrently as Chairman of Cellcom's board and at the same time as Minister of State was denied by Madam Sirleaf.
She explained that Knuckles was Chairman of the company's board during the transitional regime, but when she assumed the mantle of state, Knuckles was asked to resign which he did.
However, the President failed to state the precise time and date that Knuckles resigned as Chairman of the Board while serving as Minister which left journalists in doubt.
The President erased the impression that Knuckles still had influence in government since his resignation following publication of his pornographic photo last year.
But she failed to state categorically whether the e-main scam were criminal in nature, saying "I don't want to impugn on someone's character".
On the issue of western cluster iron deal, President Sirleaf said re-bidding for the cluster has been ordered on grounds that two of the companies were disqualified on financial and technical grounds.
She disclosed that the South African company, Delta, won the bid but was disqualified because it did not meet the financial capacity.
According to her, Tata Steel which has the capacity to perform said that it would commence operation in 2017 which the committee rejected. Tata Steel was also disqualified in the wake of media publications of e-mail exchanges alleging that Mr. Knuckles had solicited funds from them which is a violation of the PPCC law.
Consistent with the PPCC Act, the next company in line which is Sino Steel should have been selected. But President Sirleaf explained it was noticed that Sino Steel was a trading company, not a mining group.
The decision to call for re-bid in the western cluster has questioned the transparency and integrity of the Inter-Ministerial Committee. The Deliotte and Touche, an international accounting firm conducted a due diligence exercise of all the participating companies in the Western Cluster Iron Ore deposit bid.
At the conference, journalists asked the President whether she would consider restructuring the Inter-Ministerial committee on grounds that it did not do a good job for which re-bidding in the western cluster has been ordered.
President Sirleaf claimed that the committee was not at fault with the bidding process.
Mr. Knuckles, a Liberian businessman, is at the center of an e-mail scam that has drawn the office of the President of Liberia in the 'scandalous act.'
According to FrontpageAdfrica, an online Liberian news magazine published Knuckles' purportedly e-mails soliciting millions of dollars from expatriate companies to secure for them government contacts - in some instances - with the alleged acquiesce of President Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf.
Knuckles has denied the authenticity of the e-mails and instead claimed that unknown persons hacked into his yahoo account and were putting out the e-mails to malign him.
Prior to President Johnson-Sirleaf's confirmation, Knuckles, a former aide to the President who resigned amidst a sex scandal last year had allegedly e-mailed the head of LISCR, Mr. Yoram Cohen assuring the LISCR boss that the President had told him (Knuckles) that LISCR would maintain its contract with Liberia.
But in an interview with the Daily Observer, President Johnson-Sirleaf was quoted as saying, "Mr. Knuckles did not have to do what he did as we said we were not going to change the agent."
President Johnson-Sirleaf further added, "owing to ship owners' commendation for the LISCR-managed program and other improvement by the agent, there would have been no bidding for the program as well."
Meanwhile, President Johnson-Sirleaf says the Liberian government has put aside the LISCR agreement pending investigation. She said LISCR has already submitted a report but declined to disclose its contents.
In order to get to the bottom of the case, President Sirleaf appointed Dr. Elwood Dunn as head of an Ad Hoc Independent Commission to investigate the alleged improprieties regarding purported the email exchanges in circulation on a Liberian online magazine website, FrontPage Africa.
An Executive Mansion release says the Commission will consist of, at most, five Liberians deemed impartial and independent to be selected by the head of the Commission.
The release added that the commission will have the scope and authority to seek and acquire information from all domestic and international sources bearing on the investigation.
To facilitate its work, the Ad hoc Commission will employ two experts; an information technology expert and a lawyer.
The duration of the investigation will not exceed three months, at the end of which period, a report will be submitted to the office of an Independent Special Prosecutor to be appointed.
An adequate budget, support staff and equipment will be made available to the Commission for its duration.
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