Forest Development Authority (FDA) has sent Isaac Richmond Anderson and eight others to court for Theft of Property, Economic Sabotage, Criminal Conspiracy and Criminal facilitation.
The police charge sheet said Defendant Beomjin Lee, Dauoda Sesay, Junjeon Sik, Isaac Richmond Anderson, Edward K. Jallah, Isaac Railey, Peter Kpadeh, David Taweh and Prince K. Wallace violated Chapter 15, subchapter D section 15.51; Chapter 15, subchapter F section 15.80; Chapter 10, section 10.4,10.2.
In a complaint filed by the Board chairperson of the Forest Development Authority, Harrison Kanweah, he said in September, the joint security at the Klay and Sawmill check points in Bomi County arrested a 20-footed container of round logs which were being taken from Gbarpolu County enroute to the freeport of Monrovia.
The charge sheet maintained that in July 2022, suspect Anderson, the son of former Representative Richmond Anderson allegedly met with two south Korean Nationals named Beomjin Lee and Jun Sik in Liberia to arrange purchase and shipment of logs from the Republic of Liberia and defendant Anderson later introduced the Koreans to the CEO of Group of Companies named Edwin Wesley and a Memorandum of Understanding was signed between Eco group of Companies and Korean.
“Due to a disagreement between the CEO of Eco Group and the Korean, the MoU was abandoned with over US$ 12, 000 requested by the group while defendant Sesay was entrusted by the Korean to arrange the cuts, transportation and shipment of the logs from Gbarpolu to the freeport of Monrovia.
The police charges further revealed that suspect Kpadeh contacted two custom brokers namely Prince Wallace and David Taweh to assist in the arrangements with custom Authority at the Freeport of Monrovia for Export Permit (EP) acquisition.
Defendants Varney Marshall and suspect Edward Jallah employees of the FDA assigned a Clay check point met with suspect Sesay who claimed to be owner of the logs and arranged with the FDA employees to allow the truck with containers of logs to pass the Klay check point without proper assessment of documentation.
Defendant Marshall informed the investigation that Wallace gave them (Edward Jallah, Nathaniel Bolay) the amount of US $400 at the Klay check point and later sent additional money on his phone so that they can release the container trucks.
The investigation noted that Benjamin Tennessee plowen, the Deputy Managing Director for Administration of FDA was invited by the investigation to provide clarity on his alleged role in the issuance of FDA export permit for the round logs (EKKI) which was provided to suspect Sesay through suspect Railey but failed to honor the invitation which constitutes hindering law enforcement in contravention of the New Penal Code of Liberia.
