President Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf suspends senior officials. ____________________________________________________ The Execution Mansion has reported that President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf has with immediate effect suspended three senior officials of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Those suspended by the Liberian leader, according to presidential media officers, include the Deputy Minister for Administration, Una Kumba Thompson; Consul-General, Consulate of the Republic of Liberia in New York, Williams G. Greaves, Jr.; and Comptroller of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, James G. Quiqui. According to an Executive Mansion release, the three officials are suspended on reports of their involvement in financial impropriety. They will be turned over to the Liberia Anti-Corruption Commission (LACC) for further investigation. In another development, President Sirleaf has dismissed the Deputy Director-General for Administration of the General Services Agency (GSA), Mr. Galakpai Kortimai. His dismissal takes immediate effect. The Presidents swift response against the suspected corrupt officials appears to contradict criticisms that her administration is completely conquered by the forces of corruption against whom she declared a major fight at the onset of her first term of office in 2006. Critics of the UP-led government say nepotism, impunity and corruption are commonplace in the government despite assurances that the pandemics which accounts for the socioeconomic woes of the people of Liberia would be battled head-on.. The General Auditing Commission and the Liberia Anti-Corruption Commission have unveiled avalanche of corruption cases that clearly identify culprits, but little or nothing is done to bring them to justice. In addition to the GAC and LACC reports, several special presidential committees produced their own versions of corruption reports but all these characteristically remain shelved by the government. Though there are instances of speedy actions against a number of culprits in the past that led to the trial and conviction of corrupt officials, the critics insist that the administration has adopted a pick and choose attitude in the prosecution and punishment of corrupt officials. It is not known whether President Sirleafs action against the four government officials is just not far from the pick and choose attitude or is a beginning of an unwavering, indiscriminate sweep against scoundrels and kleptocrats. Story by The Analyst newspaper.
Posted on: Tue, 10 Jun 2014 13:09:42 +0000