Margibi County Senator, Nathaniel McGill, has declared that he is prepared to challenge the sanctions imposed on him by the United States Government in court.
Senator McGill who accused the government of using the sanctions as a political tool to silence him and other opposition figures, boasted that yet, in all of that, he was overwhelmingly voted for by his people.
McGill furthered, “But like I have said before, I am innocent of those allegations levied against me and I am willing and ready to have my day in court so I can exonerate myself, but if UP feel that using my sanction will scare me, I will not be intimidated or silenced by that.”
He vented, “If the government of President Joseph Boakai is serious about prosecuting me and other sanctioned officials, let them do so, I challenge them, even my own CDC Government. I have said this time and time again that I am prepared to defend myself in court because as far as I am concerned, I have done nothing wrong, and I am ready to challenge these baseless accusations in court anytime and any day.”
“Everything that I own today was acquired through my labor and all the time that I served in government from President Sirleaf to Weah; I have always acted in the best interests of the citizenry and I will not allow these false allegations to pull me down,” McGill noted.
“You know, the Unity Party people were all around the place here calling for me go to court and that they will prosecute me once Boakai becomes President. Now that he has won, I challenge the UP government to take me to court if they have any evidence against me,” he reiterated.
Look, they will not do it because I have never committed a crime in Liberia. America is a sovereign state like Liberia and it is their right to stop people from going to their country and I respect their decision,” he said.
Senator McGill, who was Minister of State during the administration of former President George Weah, was amongst the first three officials to be sanctioned by the US for involvement in the alleged corruption and abuse of power.
McGill, as well as former Solicitor General, Saymah Syrenius Cephus, and now Rivercess County Senator, Bill Twehway’s service in government were marred with allegations of corruption and misuse of public funds by the US.
The U.S., among other things, accused McGill for having “bribed business owners, received bribes from potential investors, and accepted kickbacks for steering contracts to companies in which he has an interest” during his term in government.
He was also accused of “manipulating public procurement processes to award multi-million-dollar contracts to companies in which he has ownership” and used government funds allocated to other Liberian government institutions to run his own projects.
“McGill, at the same time, made off-the-books payments in cash to senior government leaders, and organized warlords to threaten political rivals, thereby threatening the peace and democracy of Liberia, and that’s why his properties were blocked and turned over to OFAC,” the U.S. said.
But while McGill has refuted the sanctions allegation against him, the government of former President Weah failed to act by ensuring that McGill, who later became Senator, and those sanctioned under his watch, are investigated, and if found guilty, prosecuted.
Appearing on a talk show on Spoon FM late Monday evening, the Margibi County Senator vehemently denied the allegations against him and stated that he is innocent of any wrongdoing, expressing his willingness to defend himself in court and prove his innocence.
Meanwhile, commenting on other national issues, McGill reiterated his support for the establishment of the War and Economic Crimes Court in Liberia, a move he said would end the culture of impunity, ensuring that war and economic criminals pay for their action.
He vowed to lobby with his colleagues from the opposition block, and other independent Senators, to overwhelmingly endorse and concur with the House of Representatives’ resolution calling for the court’s establishment in Liberia.
As the political climate in the country continues to get increasingly tense, with opposition figures accusing the government of corruption and human rights abuses, McGill’s challenge is likely to serve as a test to the Boakai administration’s fight against corruption and holding people accountable for their actions.
