Gbarnga — The 9th Judicial Circuit Court in Bong County has issued a subpoena for the management of FrontPage Africa to testify in the ongoing corruption trial involving the Margibi County Health Team.
The trial, sparked by a leaked audio published by the newspaper, has led to significant legal developments.
The Liberia Anti-Corruption Commission (LACC), invoking sections 5.1 and 5.2 of its 2022 Act, indicted 12 individuals in February 2024 through the Grand Jury of Margibi County.
The charges are rooted in financial mismanagement and kickbacks involving $188,978.86 from a USAID-funded healthcare project intended to enhance services in Margibi County.
The indictment followed a full-scale LACC investigation, triggered by FrontPage Africa's exposé in 2023, which revealed a corruption scheme within the Margibi County Health Team.
The leaked audio, obtained by the newspaper, featured the then County Health Officer (CHO), Dr. Augustine Nyankun Fannieh, and senior staff discussing how to divert public funds for personal gain, in collaboration with vendors.
At the time, the Margibi County Health Team was receiving an annual $801,693 from USAID through the Ministry of Health's Fixed Amount Reimbursement Agreement (FARA) program, aimed at strengthening the local healthcare system.
The leaked audio surfaced, implicating several officials and raising concerns over the mismanagement of donor funds.
Twelve individuals, including former and current officials of the health team and local businessmen, were named in the indictment. Among them are Augustine N. Fannieh (former County Health Officer), Leroy Dorwazia (former County Health Services Administrator), Dornuu Horace (former Procurement Officer), and other key figures in Margibi's health system.
The defendants face charges of Economic Sabotage, Theft of Property, Tampering with Public Records, Criminal Facilitation, and Criminal Conspiracy. These charges stem from the alleged embezzlement of nearly $189,000 meant to improve healthcare for the people of Margibi County.
The trial, originally set in Margibi, was transferred to the 9th Judicial Circuit Court in Bong County at the request of the prosecution.
In the latest development, the court has ordered FrontPage Africa to testify about its February 2, 2023 report titled "Massive Corruption in Margibi County: Leaked Audio Exposes Graft Within the Health System."
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The court, through a writ of Subpoena Duces Tecum and Ad Testificandum, dated September 18, 2024, summoned the newspaper's management and its Margibi County correspondent, Yawah Y. Jaivey, to appear and present evidence on Monday, September 23, 2024, at 10:00 AM.
The subpoena states: "You are hereby commanded to subpoena the management of FrontPage Africa, especially its correspondent/writer Yawah Y. Jaivey, to appear before the Ninth Judicial Circuit Court in Bong County to produce and testify regarding the February 2, 2023 story."
