As the Hot Pepper reported the arrival of the first four investigators from the US Department of Treasury’s Financial Crimes Enforcement Network, the paper has learned about the arrival of additional two investigators in the country. According to information, additional two are expected before the end of the week and one by next week, in order to complete the investigative team and sum them up to nine (9).
The six investigators already in country are said to be in active engagement with the heads of the Liberia Anti-Corruption Commission (LACC), General Auditing Commission (GAC) and the Financial Intelligence Unit (FIU) of Liberia, as they gather additional facts and evidences on individuals who looted government’s coffers from the Charles Taylor administration to the sitting George Weah administration.
According to sources close to the US investigators, officials from the Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf administration topped the investigators’ list of 110 names, followed by officials of the Weah administration.
On Wednesday, June 1, 2022 the Hot Pepper reported that the Financial Intelligence Unit (FIU) of the US Department of Treasury has began to investigate 110 (one hundred and ten) Liberians for alleged money laundering, terroristic financing and other financial crimes from the administration of jailed President Charles G. Taylor to the sitting George Weah administration.
The Washington sources informed the paper that four US financial investigators have already landed on Liberian soil, with additional five investigators expected before the end of the week, to sum the investigators’ number up to nine (9).
Prominent among those being investigated is the son of former President Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf, Robert A. Sirleaf, the erstwhile pro-bono Chairperson of the Board of the National Oil Company of Liberia (NOCAL).
Even though the Sirleaf administration claimed that Rob Sirleaf was working on a pro-bono service, he is now being thoroughly investigated by the Americans for financial crimes.
According to information, the news of Rob Sirleaf’s investigation has triggered worriness in his mother, who unfortunately happens to just come from under surgery.
In 2013, the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) commenced a probe into an amazing US$2.5 billion asset belonging to Robert Sirleaf, believed to have been illegally amassed by the former President’s son. Sirleaf was widely considered the right-hand man to his mother, and perhaps the proxy leader of the nation at the time, influencing major public decisions on mineral and oil concession agreements.
Robert Sirleaf simultaneously held four positions during his mother’s administration: Chairman of NOCAL, Senior Advisor to the President, Chairman of First International Bank and UNESCO Representative.
He was accused by then Representative, Edwin Melvin Snowe, and CDC Youth Chairman, Jefferson Koijee, of diverting US$10 million social corporate funds from Chevron into his Robert A. Sirleaf Foundation.
The recent investigation launched by the Americans seeks to unearth the facts behind these allegations and investigations and many other financial malpractices he allegedly committed.
Rob is remembered for buying the Barracks Young Controllers (BYC), renovating many community sports pitches, including the ones in West Point, Slipway, PHP, New Kru Town, etc., and for allegedly sponsoring the Student Integration Movement (SIM) and the Student Democratic Alliance (STUDA) of the University of Liberia to challenge and oust the Student Unification Party (SUP) from power at the university, a situation that brought political chaos on the campus and since rendered election suspended on the campuses of the university.
Another person being investigated for financial crimes, according to the US sources, is the former Minister of Finance and Development Planning during the Ellen administration, Amara Konneh, who some time ago lose his job with the World Bank in Kenya.
Also, the account of a popular queen has been investigated and confirmed to store US$3 million, which has been traced to a top government official in the George Weah administration. The famous queen was said to have recently taken her friend to Istanbul, Turkey, to celebrate her birthday with her in a luxurious style.