By Alex Yomah
The Afriland First Bank has been accused of deducting monies from local government employees assigned in River Cess County.
River-Cess County Senator, Wellington Geevon Smith, made the allegations during the Internal Affairs Ministry’s budget hearing conducted by the Senate’s Budget Committee recently.
Senator Smith told plenary that his investigation in the county has established that for the past six years, the Afriland Bank, a legally accredited commercial bank operating in Liberia, has reportedly being deducting LD500 or LD1000 from individuals depending on their monthly wages.
According to him, the Government of Liberia contracted the Afriland Bank sub-branch operating in River Cess to disburse salary payments to public servants.
The Senator told his colleagues that the authority of the bank is yet to inform the Local officials on whose order, the bank is deducting said amount.
However, he said, his citizens have asked him to tailor their grievances to the requisite institutions aimed at seeking redress, stating, “Already, harmonization has taken our money and such huge amount is being deducted. We want explanation on whose order our money is being cut.”
Responding to Senator Smith’s inquiry, Deputy Minister for operations, Internal Affairs, Momo Johnson told Plenary that the Ministry is not aware of the bank being involved in such attitude.
He assured the senate of launching an investigation into the matter and reverts to them his findings, saying, “Honorable Senators, we will investigate but to be frank, this information has not come to the Ministry’s knowledge.”
With all efforts exerted to contact authority of the Afriland Bank regarding the allegation, the acting Chief Executive Officer, Abraham Blamo Johnson, could neither deny nor confirm the allegation but stressed that such information has not reached the bank.
“To be candid; can that kind of information be believed? The Ministry of Internal Affairs or the Senator has never brought such information to our knowledge,” Abraham Johnson told this paper via mobile interview.
He added, “Trust me, if the Senator complains or the Ministry informs the bank, we will launch an investigation into the report but to date, we have not received any such information.”
Afriland Bank which was established March 10, 2011 in Monrovia as a legally accredited banking institution operating in Liberia, its mission is to achieving the best economic performance in a socially and environmentally responsible manner to the entire satisfaction of all their stakeholders for sustainable development.