PRESIDENT JOSEPH N. Boakai’s appointment of Brownie Samukai to head the Yellow Machine Committee faces criticism and condemnation from stakeholders, including civil society. One of those coming down on the President for the appointment is the Coalition of Youths and Students for Better Liberia. According to the CSO, “The Coalition of Youths and Students for Better Liberia is disappointed in President Boakai for appointing Mr. Brownie Samukai, who was convicted for mismanagement of private savings of officers of the Armed Forces of Liberia. Mr. Samukai’s appointment contradicts the government’s fight against corruption and prudent financial management of the state. We are appalled that Mr. Samukai, who spent 12 years as Minister of Defense with no impact on the lives of the people of Lofa County and Liberia, could be appointed to manage the country’s yellow machines.”
THE COALITION’S REFERENCE is to Samukai’s conviction by the Criminal Court “C” for the misappropriation of retirement funds of the AFL. The conviction was upheld by the Supreme Court, which handed-down final ruling in the case involving former Defense Minister J. Brownie Samukai and one of his deputies and the comptroller, for the crimes of “Money Laundering and Economic Sabotage”.
THE NATION’S HIGHEST court, in its ruling on January 27, 2022 ordered the Sherriff to ‘arrest, incarcerate, and place in a common jail’, the former Defense Minister.
IT MAY BE recalled that the Supreme Court upheld the lower Criminal “C” conviction against Brownie Samukai for corruption during his tenure as Minister, Ministry of National Defense during the administration of former President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf.
SAMUKAI WAS DECLARED Lofa County Senator-elect, on the opposition CPP ticket in the December 8, 2020, Special Senatorial election, a victory upheld by the Board of Commissioners of the National Elections Commission, after a series of challenges by some of his opponents from Lofa. However, the embattled senator-elect could not take his seat because he was unable to restitute the full amount involved in the financial scandal.
THE NATION’S HIGHEST Court withheld and modified the Criminal Court C’s ruling involving the former Defense Minister and one of his deputies and the Comptroller, saying that, “The law extant in this jurisdiction that a person is guilty of theft of property when he knowingly takes, misappropriates, converts or exercises unauthorized control over or makes an unauthorized transfer of an interest in the property of another with the purpose of depriving the owner there of.”
THE CRIMINAL COURT “C” on Tuesday March 24, 2020 found former Defense Minister Samukai and his deputies guilty of corruption, but defense lawyers took exception to the ruling and announced that they will file Appeal to the Supreme Court.
SAMUKAI HAD BEEN facing trial for misappropriating some US$1.3 million. His leadership of the Armed Forces of Liberia had received huge amounts for the AFL’s Compulsory Contributing Fund, which the Government of Liberia had sent to the Ecobank Liberia, Ltd. It included US460,000.00 in addition to US$687,656.35, making a total sum of US$1,147,665.35.
THE FORMER DEFENSE minister’s new appointment to head the Yellow Machine Committee has caused a return to the sordid pages of history, one inappropriate for a public servant.
