Monrovia — The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Liberia has issued a statement refuting the allegations made by Wynee Cummings Wilson, a former staff member at the Permanent Mission of Liberia to the United Nations in New York. In a video circulating on social media, Ms. Wilson claimed to be an employee of the Mission and accused Minister Dee Maxwell Kemayah of sexual harassment.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs clarified that Wynee Cummings Wilson was never an employee of the Permanent Mission but served as an "apprentice" with the intention of learning more about the United Nations system. They also asserted that Minister Kemayah had no prior knowledge of the reported incident at the Mission on November 6, 2023, as he was preoccupied with national and international engagements.
The Ministry emphasized that Ms. Wilson failed to submit the required documents, such as a United States Resident Permit (Green Card) or proof of United States citizenship, which are necessary for employment at Liberian embassies and foreign missions around the world. As a result, she was informed in June 2023 that her name would be removed from the Mission's compensation starting on July 1, 2023.
Furthermore, the Ministry stated that meetings were held with Ms. Wilson to request the necessary documentation to regularize her employment status, and they noted that she was the only person at the Permanent Mission without an identification card due to her refusal to submit required documents.
In response to these refutations, Ms. Wilson, speaking as a staff member at the Permanent Mission, strongly denied the Ministry's claims. She asserted that she was not an "apprentice" and that her bank account reflected salary payments, contradicting the Ministry's assertion that she was never an employee.
"For the record, I am not an "apprentice"! My bank account reflecting salary payments to me does not carry such title," she stated.
Ms. Wilson accused Minister Kemayah of deliberately distorting the truth and engaging in a pattern of harassment and retaliation since she reported him for sexual harassment to the U.S. Department of State's Office of Foreign Missions in September 2020.
Ms. Wilson claimed that Minister Kemayah had refused to authorize her salary payments for the past six months and ordered her removal from the payroll. She also alleged that he had prevented her from entering the office. Ms. Wilson argued that her employment eligibility as a "Local Staff" at the Permanent Mission was in accordance with United States law and provided her valid Employment Authorization documents to support her claim.
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She questioned why she had been on the Ministry of Foreign Affairs' payroll and received a monthly salary for over three years but was suddenly removed after reporting sexual harassment. She suggested that the action taken against her on November 6, 2023, was part of a broader pattern of harassment to silence her.
"How did I get on the Ministry's payroll and receive monthly salary for over three (3) years? Why all of a sudden after I reported the sexual harassment by Minister Kemayah, then I am no longer a staff of the Permanent Mission but without a termination letter? Did I not meet the host country's requirements? Or does this mean that the Permanent Mission of Liberia to the United Nations was in violation of the host country's laws?" she asked.
Ms. Wilson expressed her determination to fight for justice and called for the support and prayers of the public.
