At least four employees of the Finance Ministry recently accused of stealing US$700,000.00 are facing trial at the Monrovia City Court on multiple charges of criminal conspiracy, economic sabotage, fraud and theft of property.
Based on allegations levied by Finance Ministry authorities, defendants Daniel B. Grigsby, Jr, Yallah W. Ndorbor, Samuel K. Seidu and John D. Kennedy allegedly diverted and remitted government revenues into two separate private accounts identified as Integrated Management Consultants Inc., #00211034719926101; and Buchanan Revenue Office bearing #003-1014700154-70.
Police investigators claim defendant Daniel B. Grigsby has admitted to perpetrating the crimes levied against him, and also linked co-suspects Kennedy, Ndorbor and Seidu as accomplices.
The suspects were arrested on September 20, 2012 based on allegation levied by Deputy Finance Minister for Revenue Dr. James Kollie, linking them to stealing US$700,000.00 from government through its Grand Bassa County Collectorate.
Police charged sheet revealed that the suspects allegedly collected 6% contractors withholding tax paid by a construction company identified as Odebrecht Construction International Inc. between the months of February and August 2012.
According to Deputy Minister Kollie's narratives to police investigation, the 6% was to be placed into government's account, but the suspects diverted into two private accounts.
However, police gathered that defendant Grigsby created the establishments named Integrated Management Consultant, Inc with the knowledge of co-suspects Kennedy, Ndorbor and Seidu for the sole purpose of duping government.
Comments Post a comment
This is good but not good enough. No one is above the law. We want documented high-ranking corrupt government officials such as were implicated by GAC audit reports for blatant acts of massive looting and diverting of public funds as way back as when former GAC boss Morlu was in office to be brought to justice immediately. We also want those fake contractors who took public funds and never executed their jobs including those that failed to build roads, bridges, schools, clinics, etc. during the Sirleaf administration's first term of office to be brought to justice immediately. By this we are talking about Defense Minister Samukai who continues to be in office after doing away with half a million dollars purposed for army personnel's rations; then there is the case of former Finance Minister Augustine Ngafuan who was repeatedly implicated by GAC audit reports of having knowledge of tens of millions of dollars spirited from government coffers. If all these corrupt ministers and other top officials who commit grave acts of human rights abuse (of abusing the rights to economic security of the Liberian people) are punished for their crimes, our countrysides of everlasting dusty and muddy roads, our capital and major cities without proper drainage systems, our towns and villages without schools and clinics to educate and cater to the health needs of the vast majority of the Liberian people will be fixed, and Liberia will be the real beacon of hope that the International Community intends it to be. This is the reason the International Community is pumping so much money into this country.
If not checked in a timely manner, these monstrous acts of corruption will sow seeds that will yield even worse civil wars in the future, at which time the witches and wizards that are now committing these crimes would have fled to gorge themselves on the blood-dripping loots that they are now ravaging out of the hands of the Liberian people. Truth hurts but is turth.