Brumskine Grips West Point?

Slum Community Turnout En-mass To Welcome Liberty Party, As Party Dedicates New Office As Frank Jericho Nagbe Pledges Support….

Wade C.L Williams: wade.williams@frontpageafricaonline.com

 

Frank Jericho Nagbe, former Coach of the Liberian National Team (the Lonestar) now Coach of premiere side LISCR-FC led the way as hundreds of West Pointers spilled the street to take a glimpse of the political torchbearer of the opposition Liberty Party.

Esther Toe, resident of WestPoint stated that she joined Unity Party because she has seen no light in her previous party.

Toe: “if I can join Liberty party, then you must know that there is something good in liberty party. Today, If I be successful with Liberty Party through my effort, my people can enjoy.”

The Township of West Point in Monrovia turned out in their masses to welcome Liberty Party’s Charles Walker Brumskine on Saturday, May 14, 2011.

Cllr. Brumskine was in West Point to dedicate the office of his party. Citizens of the township, which is widely considered a CDC stronghold, were seen chanting political slogans to the LP’s standard bearer.

Coach Nagbe pledged his support to the LP and announced that he will be contesting the Representative seat of District # 1 on the party’s ticket.

Old man Winston, who says he’s got a thousand members following in the Wheelbarrows Union and owns more than one hundred wheelbarrows, says he was a supporter of the Congress for Democratic Change, but since the ceding of the standard bearer position by Weah  to Tubman, he has seen no reason to follow the CDC.

“Now they turn Oppong brain around, his eye ball turning”.

Cllr. Brumskine in remarks to the people of West Point described the day as historic for his party.

The LP strongman thanked the West Pointers, especially Nagbe for his support to the LP.

Speaking on the issue of unification, Cllr. Brumskine urged Liberians to put their differences aside regardless of political affiliation and start with personal reconciliation.

Brumskine: “I want us today to start with personal reconciliation, I ask every Liberian to reconcile with that family member with whom you have not spoken for many days.”

The former President Pro-Tempore of the Liberian Senate said it is time for Liberians to move forward.

Cllr. Brumskine, speaking at the Kru Beach community in West Point said Liberians are at cross-roads, moving towards the general and presidential elections which will see a new government taking the mantle of authority for Liberia.

“I promise you West Pointers that when I’m elected your President we will also elect our city mayors, we will also elect our paramount chiefs, we will also elect our town and clan chiefs, we will elect all of those people who are suppose to administer the affairs of government”.

He urged every Liberian to take advantage of the upcoming referendum and vote YES for all the amendments.

Cold Water Saga

 Did Lawmakers Request US$118,400 From NACOL?

 

M. Welemongai Ciapha, II welemongai.ciapha@frontpageafricaonline.com (077119511)

A detailed audit conducted on the financial records of the National Oil Company of Liberia by former GAC Boss John S. Morlu, II, has established that claims by Chairman of the Board of Directors that he paid in excess of US$118, 400  as inducement to Lawmakers is of no iota of legal truth.

“The payment of the purported lobbying fees to the Legislature is unlawful, and contravenes Section 12.50(1) of the Penal Law of Liberia which states “a person has committed bribery, a second degree felony, if he knowingly offers, gives or agrees to give to another or solicit, accepts or agrees to accept from another, a thing of value as consideration for the recipient’s official action as a public servant. The recipient’s violation of a known duty as a public servant.” The report stated.

Essentially, the audit discovered that the minutes of the NOCAL’s Board of Directors indicated that the Board was also concerned that payment of such amounts to the lawmakers to influence the passage of the petroleum contracts of Broadway PLC and Oranto Petroleum was irregular, a form of bribery under the laws of Liberia.

In response to the audit findings, NACOL’s Board of Directors declared:”After consultation with the authorities, we gave in to their demands reluctantly. The first amount of  US$ 50,000.00 was approved by the Board. A scrutiny of the minutes will reveal that we did not have fund at the time but the Board authorized management to borrow the amount from the LPRC. A second payment was made to the Legislators without the approval of the Board. I was informed by Dr. Kromah, NOCAL’s President, that the situation demanded that this amount be paid right away.”

The report further states: “By his admission, he is saying that he and the Board Members were aware of the disbursement of the borrowed US$50,000.00 from LPRC to a Member of the National Legislature and the Chief Clerk of the House of Representative. Montserrado County District#1 Representative received US$40,000.00 as authenticated by the receipt issued by her and Chief Clerk James Kaba received US$1,500.00 as also authenticated by a receipt issued by him.”

Morlu noted that the failure of  the Board’s Chairman, Urey to provide the names of the lawmakers or any evidence of the balance of US$76, 900 allegedly paid to members of the House of Representatives as ‘cold water’ demonstrated irregular transaction.

“This clearly showed that the bribery was authorized by the Board’s approval to borrow US$50,000.00 from LPRC. The number of authorizations the Board provided was not material and is not the issue. Instead the action of the Board to authorize the first payment

was irregular and a breach of the Penal law of Liberia, setting the basis for the President/CEO to exploit the opportunity,” the audit report added.

The former A.G.,  in his detailed analysis of the financial book of NACOL described  the management’s position on the matter as follows:”the management, in flagrant disregard of the laws of Liberia, responded, Although management recognizes that this is a common practice.”

The audit discovered a receipt of US$ 40, 000 from Representative Alomiza Ennos Barr, while the late Chief Clerk of the House of Representatives, Atty. James Kaba grabbed US$1,500.

Said the AG: “I recommend that the US$118,400.00 purportedly paid as lobbying fees be refunded to NOCAL’s coffers by Madam Alomiza Ennos Barr, Member of the House of Representative, James Kaba, Chief Clerk of the House of Representative, and Dr. Fodee Kromah, President of NOCAL.

Except for a payment received and signed for by Madam Barr in the tune of US$40,000.00 and another payment signed for by Chief Clerk Kaba in the tune of US$1,500.00, there was no evidence of receipt by the National Legislature of US$76,900.00.”

Continued the report: “On the basis of the information and clarification provided by Chairman Urey, I recommended that Dr. Kromah refund the amount and that the Minister of Justice employs the necessary legal means to remedy the fraud and the contravention of Liberian laws.” the report recommended.

The audit report  Additionally recommended that the petroleum contracts of Broadway PLC and Oranto Petroleum Ltd.,  ratified by the Legislature and signed by the President of the Republic of Liberia should be immediately nullified, because the process was compromised by bribery and influence peddling, thereby denying assurance that the contracts were ratified for the benefit of the Liberian people.

Dissecting the records, it was observed that  a number of irregularities were also noted with the operations of NOCAL’s board, with the purchase of a twin-cabin pick-up valued at US$34,500 for the board’s chairman Urey by the board.

The report  clarified that it is the prerogative of the President of Liberia to decide who the responsibility of that office should be delegated to. Similarly,  the audit stated, letters from the President of Liberia not on official Ministry of State Letter head does not fall within NOCAL’s purview. Therefore, the report said, the Ministry of State should be contacted to provide explanation on why letters written to board members were not on official letter head.” The report emphasized.

ELECTION FEAR GRIPS LEGISLATORS

NEC Chairman summoned over constituency delineation

Julius Kanubah, FPA Legislative Affairs Correspondent, juliuskanubah@yahoo.com (+2316586240)

Re-election and political fear has gripped some members of the National Legislature ahead of Liberia’s crucial general and presidential elections expected either in October or November of this year (2011).

The fright relates to the ongoing provincial constituency delineation of all electoral districts in the Country by the National Elections Commission (NEC).

NEC is carrying out the electoral district delineation as part of what the Commission regards as the implementation of a Legislative Joint Resolution on the Electoral Threshold Act.

The Electoral Threshold Act which sparked over two years of intense political and legislative bickering before being Legislated, signed and printed into handbill on 22^nd July 2010 sets the basis for political representation in the House of Representatives.

The Legislature had passed the Threshold Act throwing aside the results of the 2008 National Housing and Population Census which under Article 80 (d) of the Constitution of Liberia should have been used to set the threshold for each electoral district.

Article 80 (d) reads: “Each constituency shall have an approximately equal population of 20, 000, or such number of citizens as the Legislature shall prescribe in keeping with population growth and movements as revealed by a national census; provided that the total number of electoral constituencies in the Republic shall not exceed one hundred”.

In the controversial joint resolution, the Legislature failed to prescribe a numerical threshold as mandated by Article 80 (d) of the Constitution but chose to maintain the current sixty-four (64) electoral districts with the prescription of nine (9) additional electoral districts thus increasing the existing Legislative seats from 64 to 73.

The Legislature also resolved as part of the joint resolution to allot the nine seats to five Counties that include Montserrado (3- seats), Nimba and Bong (2-seats each), Grand Bassa and Lofa (one seat apiece).

Under the Threshold Act, it was stated that “the National Elections Commission shall reapportion the districts accordingly”.

It is against this backdrop NEC on Friday (April 29, 2011) announced that “the Commission is pleased to inform you [public] that, in-house technical activities for the delineation of electoral district boundaries is ongoing. As we speak, our technical team has completed the provincial electoral district boundaries for 13 counties while delineation for Montserrado and Margibi is ongoing”.

NEC Chairman James Fromayan explained that “By May 10, 2011 in keeping with the key electoral dates, public consultation to review the provincial electoral district boundaries will be held across the Country. Based on the feedback from the public consultations, the Final electoral boundary districts shall be determined and finally published on June 25, 2011”.

The pronouncement by NEC is in line with Article 80 (e) of the Liberia Constitution which provides that “Immediately following a national census and before the next elections, the Elections Commission shall reapportion the constituencies in accordance with the new population figures so that every constituency shall have as close to the same population as possible, provided however, that a constituency must be solely within a county”.

This announcement by Chairman Fromayan has apparently caused stir among some members of the Legislature with the House of Representatives now summoning the NEC boss and the Board of Commissions to appear before it this Thursday (May 5, 2011).

The citation according to House spokesman Isaac Redd “is intended for Chairman James Fromayan and the Board of Commissioners of NEC to explain how the Commission is carrying out its district reformatting ahead of the 2011 elections.

Mr. Redd told this paper that “the invitation to Chairman Fromayan and the other NEC officials was based on a communication to the plenary of the House by Grand Gedeh Representative Rufus Gbieor”.

Representative Gbieor, according to the House spokesman, “wrote the House because of confliction information on the delineation exercise by the National Elections Commission”.

Redd explained that “the letter by Representative Gbieor was supported by most of his colleagues because there are concerns that NEC may demarcate the sixty-four (64) seats the Legislature retained apart from the nine (9) additional seats that are to be apportioned among the five Counties”.

The concern by Representative Gbioer comes days after his senior Senator Isaac Nyenabo called on the National Elections Commission to halt the ongoing delineation exercise in all counties not given additional seats.

“It is illegal for the National Elections Commission to be carrying-out delineation of electoral districts outside the Threshold Act passed by the National Legislature, said Nyenabo.

Nyenabo feared that unless the process is halted “it could lead to sectional-conflict as tribes in various counties could be split and placed in different districts/regions during the redistricting by the National Elections Commission”.

Given the debate and fear by some members of the Legislature, it is becoming clear that the delineation exercise by the National Elections Commission is now running into trouble. The debate is being necessitated as some Legislators are worried over re-election and that changing or repositioning their strongholds in their current areas of representation to another area could be too volatile and costly on their re-election bid.

Chairman Fromayan and the NEC Board of Commissioners are now due to provide clarifications that will either increase the fear of the lawmakers or ease it for now.