The Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) Executive Director, Wilson Tarpeh, confirmed that the Agency actually owes the United Security Insurance Company as owner of the building hosting the head offices of the agency.
According Director Tarpeh, his leadership at the EPA inherited the debt situation recorded between the entity and the lessee, which is in tune of about US$48,000 per annum.
He noted that his administration has worked overtime in good collaboration with the property owners and other government agencies responsible to have the contract of lease respected by all parties concerned.
The EPA boss maintained that the entity is not in any way failing to adhere to its obligations of debt to the United Security Insurance Company, but needs to keeping engaging the requisite entities responsible for funding government agencies.
“We as a leadership at the EPA inherited a back-lease debt between the entity and the insurance company that owns this building. We had been working to have the payment up to date until 2020. We had some issues with the payment from the Ministry of Finance and Development Planning and this is the situation that is holding their payment,” Tarpeh confirmed.
He appealed to the aggrieved owners of the property who have begun engaging into protestation to take the most civic action and avoid interrupting the workings of the Environmental Protection Agency.
The Chief Executive Officer of the United Security Insurance Company, Mohammed Kuyateh, described it as a big problem to have his business operating with the government entity reportedly refusing to be paid the amount owed him over three years.
Kuyateh disclosed that the employees of the insurance company’s continuous accusations about him collecting cheques from the EPA and failing to pay them caused him to allow them engage the facility that is being used by government without paying the rent.
He explained that the EPA management, upon what he termed as a deliberate refusal to pay for the building they are occupying, has to leave or pay its portion of an agreement that has lasted for several years.
According to him, the situation, before hitting the public through protestation, had been kept under control to avoid raising more tension, but because of the team at the Environmental Protection Agency’s constant failed promises, they as a business had to seek redress to the matter.
“We had been engaging the EPA for this rent they owed us since 2019/2020, but they continued to give us stories that the government has not paid the lease. So, in recent time, we got an information that there was a cheque for us, but till now, we don’t know the new story around our lease money,” he said.
