The National Chairperson for the bicentennial steering committee, Information Minister Ledgerhood Julius Rennie publicly denies allegations that he benefited from an amount of one hundred thousand United States Dollars (US$100,000) in Laundered Money from Liberian businessman Bassirou Kante, who was arrested recently in the United States for alleged money laundering and being in possession of Liberian Diplomatic Passport.

Minister Rennie says the allegation is completely erroneous, untrue and deceitful. Noting that Mr. Bassirou never a day interacted with the bicentennial national steering committee.

Speaking at the Ministry of Information, Cultural Affairs and Tourism's regular press briefing on Thursday, May 12, the MICAT boss further clarified that Mr. Bassirou on his own decided to hire the services of Nigerian musicians P-square because of the euphoria of the bicentennial celebration.

He continues that the committee did not know about it and he (Mr. Bassirou) never communicated with them on such matter.

"We didn't know about it, he never wrote us, he never communicated to us, and that brought an uproar amongst the local musicians because it was announced that he had spent US$200,000 and people said it was the government who gave the money", says the minister.

However, he notes that the allegation published against him that (Mr. Bassirou) deposited the money in the steering committee account at Guaranteed Trust Bank (GTBank) Liberia Limited is a lie.

According to him, the bicentennial does not have an account at GTBank, and the only account it has is with United Bank of Africa (UBA), instead.

Besides, Minister Rennie recounted how President George Weah has asked the Minister of Foreign Affairs Dee Maxwell Kemayan to immediately halt issuance of Liberian Diplomatic Passports until full investigation is launched into Mr. Bassirou Kante's passport saga.