- Criminal Court "C" is expected today to decide whether Abudallah Kamara, the dismissed Acting Chairperson of the Liberia Telecommunications Authority (LTA), will face prosecution or be cleared of allegations linked to a US$3.6 million corruption case involving TAMMA Corporation.
The allegations stem from investigations launched in 2024 into the alleged diversion of public funds and misuse of office involving TAMMA Corporation and its former leadership, including ex-LTA Chairperson Edwina Zackpah. At the center of the case is whether Kamara, who once served as chief executive officer of TAMMA, can be held criminally liable for actions taken during his tenure.
If the court finds sufficient evidence of wrongdoing, Kamara could face prosecution for corruption and related offenses. However, if the allegations are deemed unfounded or unsupported by evidence, he could be vindicated and possibly removed from the indictment.
Kamara, who is currently outside Liberia despite being under a travel ban, has consistently maintained his innocence, arguing that he has been unfairly targeted. His lawyers contend that he stepped down as TAMMA's CEO on May 10, 2024--more than a year before the 2025 indictment--and was replaced by Fabian Lavelanet. They insist that the indictment wrongly labels Kamara as the corporation's current CEO, despite a board resolution naming Lavelanet as his successor.
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"Kamara has no longer been TAMMA Corporation's CEO as of May 10, 2024," his lawyers told the court, arguing that he has been "wrongly and illegally labeled" in the indictment. They maintain that the Liberia Anti-Corruption Commission (LACC) was made aware of this during its investigation and that even the current CEO, Lavelanet, provided a voluntary statement affirming his role as the head of TAMMA.
According to the defense, the indictment's mischaracterization of Kamara as CEO defamed him and subjected him to "public shame, injustice, and disgrace." They argue that this error is grounds to drop him from the indictment entirely.
The prosecution, however, has pushed back, calling the labeling issue "harmless." They argue that the distinction between "current" and "former" CEO does not affect the core of the case, and if necessary, they can amend the indictment to reflect his former role.
More importantly, prosecutors insist that Kamara was the CEO when the alleged crimes occurred. They accuse him of knowingly using TAMMA Corporation as a conduit to siphon US$3,586,496.33 from Liberia's internal revenue.
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"Labeling him as the current CEO is inconsequential," prosecutors told the court. "It has been clearly established that these crimes were committed while Kamara served as CEO of TAMMA Corporation."
They further argue that Kamara cannot transfer liability to the new CEO or shield himself behind the company's board resolutions, insisting that "all of the facts in the indictment point to Kamara as the primary actor who knowingly and intentionally committed these crimes."
The court's decision today will determine whether Kamara remains on the indictment and faces prosecution or is cleared of the charges tied to his former role at TAMMA Corporation.
