The Civil Society Network of Liberia (CSNL) says its attention has been seriously drawn to media reports what the network referred to a series of misleading allegations of administrative breaches, including unauthorized payments, procurement irregularities, audit obstruction, conflict of interest, and politically motivated staffing decisions against Mr. John Siafa, Mayor of the Monrovia City Corporation (MCC).
According to the CSNL, these allegations sourced from an unknown whistleblower, are bunch of manufactured information intended to undermine what the network described as Mayor Siafa’s transformative policies and achievements at the MCC.
“The Civil Society Network of Liberia wants to fundamentally establish that contrary to claims of corruption, poor waste management, and other mal-administrative practices against Mayor Siafa, investigation conducted by the Civil Society Network of Liberia on the operations of the Monrovia City Corporation show that he has rather instituted a transparent, accountable and systemized financial operations and robust waste management system at the MCC.”
The waves of allegations against Mayor John Siafa, noted the CSNL, are cooked-up malicious propaganda designed by the suspended staff, including the Comptroller.
The CSNL further revealed through its independent investigation that the allegations of financial misappropriation and procedural breaches stem from Mayor Siafa’s crackdown on widespread financial fraud, arising from a sophisticated syndicate involving fake deposits, impersonation, extortion, and payroll theft.
The suspended staff, especially the Comptroller, as intimated by the CSNL, “Have embarked on maligning the administration of Mayor Siafa as a means of covering up their dangerous syndicate of defrauding the MCC. Since Mayor Siafa took over the MCC, he has ensured that all financial transactions are transparently conducted.”
Touching on the issue of financial mismanagement, the CSNL revealed that Contrary to mismanagement and diversion of funds, US$300,000 from the Clean Cities Project (PSIP 2024) and another US$400,000 from the World Bank-funded CLUS Project, were used for the intended purpose with approval from assigned staff of the Internal Audit Agency (IAA).
The Civil Society Network of Liberia has debunked the allegation of poor wasteful management against the Major Siafa. It Network then clarified that has observed that contrary to allegations of poor wasteful management system under Mayor Siafa, Monrovia and its environment has witnessed great improvement in the management of wastes.
The CSNL further expressed in their observation that the Cheesemanburg Landfill Urban Sanitation (CLUS), implemented by the Project Implementation Unit (PIU) of the Monrovia City Corporation, aimed at improving access to solid waste collection and disposal services in Monrovia and its surrounding remains functionally vibrant.
Monrovia’s solid waste management system has significantly bubbled in improvement, in realization of the government’s ARREST AGENDA of which Sanitation is a core component.
The allegation of staffing controversies as reviewed by the CSNL is an illogical argument, as the Mayor who heads the agency has the right to employ and promote staffers, noting “We observed that employment and promotion at the MCC is not politically influenced, as even Youths from the Unity Party recommendations had not been favored.”
Meanwhile, the CSNL concluded that its investigation clearly established that all financial transactions at the MCC, including payroll process are managed through relevant laws and policies, including the Public Financial Management (PFM) laws and Public Procurement & Concession Commission (PPCC).
The CSNL is therefore calling on all those involved in the manufacturing of fake propaganda and misleading allegations against officials of government, including Mayor Siafa of the Monrovia City Corporation to desist.
