The Civil Society Network of Liberia (CSNL) says their attention has been drawn to recent allegation against the President of the Liberia Football Association (LFA), Mustapha Rajji, by some former executives of the LFA that he worked in cohort with the contractor that constructed the LFA headquarters, CEASF Liberia, to inflate the cost of construction by an additional US$319,000 for his person enrichment. The CSNL said, given the grave nature of this allegation, the Civil Society Network of Liberia launched a full-scale investigation involving all stakeholders related to the contract to ascertain the veracity of the allegation.
The investigation conducted by the Civil Society Network of Liberia on the allegation against LFA President, Mustapha Rajii, that he received kickbacks from CESAF Liberia to inflate the cost for construction of the LFA headquarters by an additional US$319,000 revealed that the allegation is farfetched and groundless. “Findings from our investigation established that the additional cost of US$319,000.00 for the construction of the LFA Headquarters was approved by the LFA Selection Committee. The company that constructed the LFA Headquarters, CESAF Liberia, has been established as Liberia’s most renowned and reputable real estate construction company in the last ten years. Based on the integrity and honest principle of CESAF, the company has won several contracts involving the construction of buildings of major institutions in Liberia, CBL, NASSCORP and the renovation works on the Executive Mansion. In fact, as the best witness in this allegation, the management of CESAF, through its Chief Executive Officer, Mr. Koefee Woiwor, informed our investigation that the additional US$319,000.00 was due to the increase in the prices of materials, intended for quality construction and furnishing of the LFA Headquarters. The consultant for the LFA Headquarter construction contract also affirmed that there was no act of bribery between LFA President Mr. Mustapha Rajii and CESAF Liberia, as being insinuated by some former executives of the LFA. The additional cost of US$319,000.00 was necessary to offset additional cost of construction materials since the construction works commenced three years after the signing of the first contract with the original cost,” a CSNL press release observed.
“Investigation conducted by the Civil Society Network of Liberia on the LFA Headquarters bribery allegation made against President Mustapha Rajii also reveals that the allegation is a concocted scheme being designed by some misguided former LFA executives to undermine the administration of the LFA President. It is established that Mr. Isaac Montgomery, former Secretary General of the LFA, and Cassel Kuoh, a former Executive Member of the LFA, now a convicted criminal who just returned from the US, are the masterminds behind the purported allegations against Mr. Rajii. These known rascals within the LFA have embarked on, not just using fake propaganda like the lie of the US$319,000, but have begun using surrogates to protest against Mr. Rajii administration in the name that Liberian Football is dying under his administration as LFA President. Cassell Kuoh and Isaac Montgomery are the faces behind the protest led against Mr. Rajii by a little known Yodu Miller, a former employee of the dead FC Fassell, owned then by the very Cassell Kuoh. It is naïve to hold Mr. Rajii responsible for results of the Liberia National Team, as the performance of the team is based on collective effort and responsibility.
“The Civil Society Network of Liberia, being knowledgeable of these established facts from its investigation, calls on Isaac Montgomery and Cassell Kuoh to desist from spreading falsehood against the LFA President. The allegations have no basis in truth, and are just intended to distract from the many gains the Liberia Football Association have made under the administration of Mr. Rajii. The construction of the state-of-the-art headquarters for the LFA; development of female soccer; financial support towards the improvement of grassroots soccer, rehabilitation of major soccer stadiums across the country, including the Tusa Field in Gardnersville; Dorris Williams Sports Pitch in Buchanan; Nancy Doe Stadium in Kakata, among others, are major achievements of the LFA under Mr. Mustapha Rajii.
“Finally, the Civil Society Network of Liberia urges all Liberians not to give credence to the allegations against Mr. Mustapha Rajii, who has brought tremendous transformation to Liberian Football,” the CSNL release stated.
