Monrovia — A German national, Mr. Hans Joachim, Werner Goldmann, has launched a passionate plea to President George Manneh Weah to intervene in what he termed as labor trafficking and being held hostage in Liberia since 2019.
Also beseeching his country's government, the US Embassy, ECOWAS, and other international human rights groups, to intervene, Mr. Goldmann said since August 2019, he filed a lawsuit against authorities of the Booker T. Washington Institute (BWI), the court, according to him, keeps dragging the case to the point where he has now lost faith in Liberia's Judicial System. Mr. Goldmann said on numerous occasions the hearing officer allegedly said, "I don't want to lose my job because of this case, as who will feed my kids."
According to him, 19 times without excuse, the defendant party didn't appear in court for the hearings. He also said the higher labor court ruled for the second time and sent the matter back to the lower labor court to rule. "The default I was praying for was denied, because of, there is no law to determine the number of absences for hearings in court, and everything is finally up to the judge/hearing officer's ethics how he will proceed or judge in my case," Mr. Goldmann said in a letter addressed to the Liberian Anti-Corruption Commission (LACC) and to the Independent National Commission on Human Rights (INCHR). He had written to both to probe into the matter, too.
According to the now 65-year-old German, who was contracted as a BWI TVET-Instructor and Consultant, he was given 15 "duties and responsibilities" to perform.
Mr. Goldmann argues that his contract with the institute was wrongfully terminated as such he has been held hostage not being able to go back home to Germany where he had come from to help Liberian students at BWI. He laments that the only wrong thing he has done in Liberia was to leave his country and come to impart knowledge to Liberians. "I was fooled and trafficked to Liberia," he said, adding: "Now I am sick and stuck here, I can't go back home. I really want to go back; I am begging the President to please step in so I can be fully compensated for my loses and damages and the original tax withholding certificate from LRA, as well as document from NASSCORP for me to go back home," Mr. Goldmann said, melancholily.
The first MOU contract between him and the Harris Fomba Tarnue-led administration of BWI was signed on October 21, 2016, few weeks after he had landed in Liberia.
This newspaper has seen a treasure trove of papers containing exchanges between Mr. Goldmann and Mr. Tarnue, who is the Principal of BWI.
On August 9, 2016, Mr. Tarnue contacted the German through an email, and after introducing himself added: "Below are my contacts and hope we can get to know you better and your expectations on employments in Liberia, especially at BWI where we would be glad were you to join us in training young Liberians to become middle level technicians."
But on July 8, 2019, Mr. Goldmann's contract with BWI came to an abrupt end, in a letter Principal Tarnue addressed to him, which he received on the 10th of July 2019.
"Dear Mr. Goldmann:
NON-EXTENDSION OF CONTRACT
We extend you compliments and furtherance of our discussion of July 2, 2019, here reaffirm the decision that your contact with BWI for one year of service commencing July 1, 2018, and ending June 30, 2019, effectively ended as of the said June 30, 2019, as stipulated there in. As also communicated to you then, we reiterate that BWI lacks the capacity to renew your contract.
In line with this forgoing, this letter serves as a final notice of severance of the contractual relationship since June 30, 2019, between you and BWI. However, pursuant to Count VII of the Contract that either party is to give 30 days' written notice for earlier termination and to facilitate your sustenance during the anticipated one-month period, you may take to depart, BWI will pay you one month's compensation. Additionally, BWI is prepared by virtue of obligation, to repatriate you to Berlin, Germany from where you were directly recruited. To facilitate this repatriation, BWI will immediately inform the appropriate authorities of the Government of Liberia and the Institute's Board of this development."
But Mr. Goldmann argues that Mr. Tarnue wrongly interpreted the Count VII of the MOU and that the previous contract, which had that count, had already expired and both parties were no longer bind by it. He also stated that the MOU was not terminated by him. "In fact, I had already signed a new contract from the former acting Principal in the middle of June 2019. I was told by the HR Office that they were going to do a photocopy and give me my copy on 30 of June. Till today, I was not given my copy, and they denied that such contract exists," he narrated.
This is what Count VII of the old MOU says, "It is also understood and agreed that this MOU may be terminated by either party through a resignation by the TVET Instructor/Advisor by giving one (1) month written notice to the Beneficiary/Employer. Should the TVET Instructor/Advisor terminate the MOU by his own initiative before the end of the stipulated period the Beneficiary/Employer shall only be responsible for a pro-rated fraction of his monthly compensation if applicable and no more."
Also, Mr. Goldmann disclosed that all throughout, he never one day went on vacation and he later got to find out that he was never listed on any payroll, among the names of those who BWI paid every month. "Later I find out by myself from LRA that the rightful taxes were not paid, and no social security paid to NASSCROP on my behalf at all."
According to him, this is one of the obstacles that have prevented him from leaving Liberia as his country's government would be demanding to see those documents from the social security and welfare corporation and his tax payment history before it can incorporate him back into their system in Germany and be compelled to give him his benefits in Germany should he return home.
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"Because I don't have any of those papers, when I get home, I am going to be sent to jail for not being a responsible citizen," he emphasized.
Among the documents, the German, has in his possession, is a very piece of vital document that states why he needs the document from the Liberia Revenue Authority (LRA) and NASSCORP.
An Assistant Commissioner at LRA wrote: "There is a double tax treaty between Germany and Liberia which is taken very seriously. If the requisite taxes are not paid and validated by the LRA, Mr. Goldmann would face serious consequences upon his return to Germany. He will have to provide proof of taxes payment from the Liberia Revenue Authority (income taxes) and social security by NASSCROP and when these facts and documents are not provided, he could even face jail sentence and fines."
These are among the reasons why the 65-year-old German is appealing that President Weah intervenes in this matter. He indicated that he has all the documents for the President to see for himself. He thanked the President in advance for his personal intervention.
