The Collaborating Political Parties (CPP) is now made up of the Alternative National Congress (ANC), headed by Alexander B. Cummings, and the Liberty Party (LP), headed by its Chairman, Musa Hassan Bility, as the Political Leader of the party, Senator Nyonblee Karnga-Lawrence, is said to be suspended for not living up to the responsibility of an executive of the party. However, this political combination seems not to be free from corruption, as claimed by Cummings, with Chairman Bility being nailed for corruption by the Federation of International Football Association (FIFA).
Barely six months ahead of the presidential and legislative elections, Chairman Bility has been found guilty of corruption and ethical bridge by the Court of Arbitration of Sports (CAS) of FIFA, according to Supersports news. The court also reconfirmed the earlier decision of the Adjudicatory Chamber of the Ethics Committee in 2019 banning the former Liberia Football Association (LFA) President for 10 years, in all sporting activities.
The court handed down its ruling on May 2, 2023.
FIFA ethics judges banned Bility for 10 years and fined him 500,000 Swiss francs (US$507,200). He was an Executive Committee member of the Confederation of Africa Football Association when he served LFA.
In 2015, Bility was blocked as a FIFA presidential candidate after the Court of Arbitration for Sport upheld a ruling that he failed an integrity check.
The Liberian businessman’s ban was announced days after he said he would appeal to CAS against a FIFA-backed plan to send its top administrator from Zurich to oversee the troubled African soccer body.
FIFA investigation against Bility was opened after a forensic audit of Liberia Football Association’s accounts. Some of the funding misapplied came from FIFA through the World Health Organization in tackling Ebola in 2014.
FIFA found “various payments made by the LFA to (and received from) entities owned by or connected to him (Bility) and his family”.
The former Liberia Football Association (LFA) President, Bility, has lost his appeal filed at the Court of Arbitration for Sports (CAS) against FIFA with respect to the decision of the Adjudicatory Chamber of the Ethics Committee on February 12, 2019.
The appeal was dismissed and the decision of the Adjudicatory Chamber of the Ethics Committee on February 12, 2019 was confirmed.
Bility’s 10-year ban remains in place, according to the May 2, 2023 court ruling.
Bility’s initial 10-year ban by the world’s football governing body, FIFA, was triggered after he was said to have misappropriated FIFA funds, offering and accepting gifts as well as other benefits and conflicts of interest.
The Liberian businessman had petitioned the Court of Arbitration for Sports (CAS), with the hope of having the FIFA decision overturned. Unfortunately, the CAS decision, dated May 2, upholding the FIFA ban, affirms Bility’s 10-year suspension from sports.
The Hot Pepper placed a phone call to Chairman Bility for his reaction about the court’s ruling, but he did not pick his call. A text message was also sent, but up to press time the paper was yet to receive a response.
The CPP leader, Cummings, is arguably President Weah’s biggest critics in terms of corruption and bad governance. He projects himself as an alternative for a better Liberia and an improved economy. But at the same time, Cummings is surrounded by people allegedly involved in massive corruption.
Recently the CPP, precisely Cummings, was hit by the corrupt attitude of his party leaders, with over US$70,000 disappearing in thin air. It was said that he provided an additional US$50,000 to bring the perpetrator to justice; unfortunately, that money too was squandered.
Critics are beginning to wonder whether Cummings is being truthful to the Liberian people about his proposed fight against corruption. They accuse him of being in a political arrangement with convicted felons, petit criminals and recycled politicians who stole enough during past administrations.
They however pointed out that it is near-impossible to get rid of all the corrupt individual within the CPP, but the ones convicted by courts and those whose hands are being caught in the jar should be booted out if Cummings means what he says.
The critics claimed that it will be a mere bluff if Cummings promises to tackle corruption at the national level if he cannot even tackle same at the party level. “It’s like Mr. Cummings has been indoctrinated to the politics-as-usual. Everytime he speaks to the public he decries the massive corruption by government officials and President Weah’s poor leadership style. But everything he says he will fix is happening right in his party, without a single sign of trying to mend them. We know that he has international experience and connection, which are all good for our governance system, but if he cannot put things in order within his party is it at the national level he will make any difference?” the wondered.
They warned the electorate to be mindful of deceit from individuals vying for state power, noting that Liberia cannot be taken from bad governance into a worse and more corrupt one.
