By Bill W. Cooper
The Liberia Anti-Corruption Commission (LACC) has indicted 12 individuals and arrested two others for allegedly misapplying the donor funds, totaling US$188,978.86, directed to the Ministry of Health.
LACC Chairperson, Alexandra Zoe, said those indicted and arrested are members of the Margibi County Health Team (MCHT) and some business personnel who were all accused of financial improprieties and kickbacks of the above mentioned funds intended for the improvement of healthcare services in the country.
Those indicted include Augustine N. Fannieh, County Health Officer; Leroy Dorwazia, County Administrator; Dornuu Horace, County Procurement Officer; William Johnson, County Logistics Officer, and Roland Reeves, County Finance Officer, all from the Margibi County Health Team.
Others are Ernest Flahn, County Logistics Officer; Thomas M. Bonard, County Diagnostics Officer; Barkolleh Kollie, General Manager, M.J.K. Business Center; Vamuyan Traore, General Manager, Biomedical Link; Mohammed Dunor, General Manager, M.D. Capital Reliable Link; Odoshall Oldpa Kanue, General Manager, God’s Willing Inc., and Momo K. Miller, General Manager, Children Father Business.
According to her, the indictees were jointly and severally charged to answer to the above crimes, grown out of financial improprieties and kickbacks by officials of the MCHT, in the tune of US$188,978.86, from the USAID funded project intended to improve the Health Care Delivery service of citizens of Margibi.
It can be recalled that on April 14, 2022, a local media reported that US$1.1 million of donor funds was wasted and mismanaged by the Ministry of Health (MOH), leaving a dark cloud over the Ministry and government at large.
According to the news outlet, the Liberia Coordinating Mechanism (LCM) at the Ministry of Health acknowledged the investigative report published on April 8, 2022, by the Office of the Inspector General (OIG).
The report released by the OIG highlighted systemic fraud and misappropriation by the Ministry of Health, a principal recipient of the Global Fund Grants, and recommended that robust action be taken by the Government of Liberia.
Taking into consideration the report, the Liberia Anti-corruption Commission immediately utilized the open-source, obtained the investigative report, and launched a full-scale investigation into the allegation, intended to ascertain the facts.
Addressing a news conference yesterday in Congo Town, the Commission’s Chairperson, Alexandra Zoe, said, “Today, the LACC is pleased to announce that, following extensive investigation and diligent legal proceedings, and pursuant to Section 5.1 and 5.2(d) of its 2022 Act, the Grand Jury of Margibi County sitting in its February Term, A.D. 2024, has indicted 12 persons to answer to the crimes of Economic Sabotage, Theft of Property, Tampering with Public Records, Criminal Felicitation, and Criminal Conspiracy.”
Cllr. Zoe also revealed that, as at Friday, March 8, 2024, two of the defendants, in persons of Leroy Dorwarzia and William Johnson, were arrested and served with the indictment, disclosing that law enforcement officers are currently making efforts to have the indictment served on the rest of the defendants.
According to her, all the above defendants are to be tried during the May A. D. 2024 Term of Court, thereby assuring the public that the LACC remains steadfast in its commitment to combatting corruption and ensuring accountability at all levels of society.
This, she asserted, “Corruption undermines the foundations of justice, fairness, and equitable governance, and as such, we are resolute in our pursuit of justice. We commend the hard work and dedication of our investigative team, as well as the astute lawyers of the LACC who lead this process to prosecution.”
“We also laud the cooperation and support of our partners in law enforcement and the judiciary, whose collaboration has been instrumental in bringing these indictments forward, and as we proceed with the upcoming trial, we reaffirm our dedication to upholding the rule of law and holding accountable those who seek to undermine it for personal gains,” Cllr. Zoe added.
As Liberians patiently await the outcome of this trial, this case is the first major test of the Joseph Boakai administration that has expressed its commitment to fighting corruption and holding accountable those who engage in corrupt practices.
Meanwhile, the 13th Judicial Circuit Court in Margibi County has issued a ‘Writ of Arrest’ for several officials of the Margibi County Health Team (MCHT) over their alleged involvement in the misapplication of the Ministry of Health (MOH) donor funds in the county.
Those individuals are Augustine N. Fannieh, County Health Officer; Leroy Dorwazia, County Administrator; Dornuu Horace, County Procurement Officer; William Johnson, County Logistics Officer, and Roland Reeves, County Finance Officer, all from the Margibi County Health Team.
Others are Ernest Flahn, County Logistics Officer; Thomas M. Bonard, County Diagnostics Officer; Barkolleh Kollie, General Manager, M.J.K. Business Center; Vamuyan Traore, General Manager, Biomedical Link; Mohammed Dunor, General Manager, M.D. Capital Reliable Link; Odoshall Oldpa Kanue, General Manager, God’s Willing Inc., and Momo K. Miller, General Manager, Children Father Business, all located in Margibi County.
According to the ‘Writ of Arrest,’ the indicted individuals are being charged with the commission of crimes, including Economic Sabotage (a), (b), (c), and (d) (Misuse of Public Money, Property, or Record, Theft and/or illegal Disbursement & Expenditure of Public Money), Theft of Property, Tampering with Public Records, Criminal Facilitation, and Criminal Conspiracy.
It can be recalled that the ‘Writ of Arrest’ was issued following the Ministry of Health’s request to the LACC to investigate and prosecute corruption allegations concerning donor funds allocated to the MCHT that was revealed in a scandal, uncovered through a leaked audio recording of a senior-management meeting.
The discussions, accordingly, exposed internal contention over the unfair distribution of kickbacks from illicit activities and fraudulent billing practices related to the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) Fixed Amount Reimbursement Agreement (FARA) Program, which annually supports the Margibi Health System with US$801,693.
Also, the G2G-FARA program supported the implementation of components of the Essential Package of Health Services that promote family planning, maternal and child health, and malaria prevention and treatment at health facilities across Margibi.
While the LACC conducted its investigation, the MOH collaborated closely with its Government-to-Government (G2G) partner, USAID, conducting a risk assessment of the G2G Health Partnership agreement.
The assessment further identified critical and high-risk areas, prompting proactive measures from the Ministry to address the identified risks and strengthen internal controls, aimed at avoiding future re-occurrence.
In response to the assessment findings, Health Minister, Louise Kpoto, summoned County Health Teams (CHTs) under the G2G project to a meeting with USAID representatives and MOH central administrative officials on Friday, March 8, 2024, to discuss the identified risks and develop strategies to mitigate their recurrence.
During the meeting, Minister Kpoto emphasized that she takes the Risk Assessment Report seriously and warned against any involvement in corrupt practices by employees of the Health Ministry under her leadership.
She then affirmed that anyone found breaching trust and ethical standards or defrauding the health systems would be forwarded to the justice system, pledging her administration’s commitment to upholding integrity and accountability standards.
“The Ministry of Health is dedicated to maintaining the trust of partners and the public by ensuring that allocated resources for essential health services reach the last mile, and moving forward, the Ministry will continue working closely with the LACC, partners, and stakeholders, to strengthen oversight mechanisms and safeguard public funds,” Minister Kpoto added.
