The management of the Inquirer Newspaper says it has resolved not to publish any news article on the ongoing dispute or activities among the officials and commissioners of the Liberia Anti-Corruption Commission (LACC).
The management said its attention has been drawn to the rift that has engulfed the nation’s premier integrity institution which has continued to raise public suspicion that there are more hidden acts of corruption permeated around the appointed officials of government.
This paper has strived to publish the views of both the commissioners as well as the Executive Director and some aggrieved staff but the matter at bar seems far from ending, therefore the editorial department said it has placed with immediate effect an embargo on all information or activities surrounding the ongoing internal feud.
There has been internal wrangling at the LACC since its former chairperson, A Ndubusi Nwabudike, was accused of presenting an alleged fake nationality and untraceable citizen documents to members of the Liberian Senate when he was nominated as Chairperson to the National Elections Commission.
The character of Nwabudiki, who has spent barely a year in his tenure position at the LACC, was then placed on the line thereby causing President George Weah to withdraw his nomination and the counselor had to revert to his previous post at the LACC.
As if that was the opening of a can of worms at the LACC apparently for maintenance of positions or for integrity, the commissioners began going at each others throat with claims and counter claims; something that has left this institution to be perceived as being unbalanced in the middle of the controversies with many questions unanswered.
Nwabudike whose resignation has been received as he was expected to quit finally on February 26, followed sporadic attacks on his person from both the public, Anti-corruption human rights institutions, including students of the University of Liberia, was blamed to what he perceived as ‘underminers’ within the entity.
Sometime last year, J. Bernard Nagbe, the former Comptroller of the LACC was among the first group of employees to have resigned citing uncertainty over take-home salary and other benefits.
“I am not receiving my remuneration on time and my service to the government and the people of Liberia is not for free. Henceforth, I can no more continue this useless sacrifice to the LACC,” he stated in his resignation letter.
AT one point, a group of former employees stormed the premises of the entity with a Writ from the Civil Law Court on allegations of financial mal-practices.
The most recent of the ongoing saga was unearthed when Atty. Mohammed Fahnbulleh, at a press conference on February 15, levied series of allegations of corruption against Cllr. Kanio Gbala but in his response, the vice chairperson dismissed all allegations thus providing rebuttals.
Meanwhile, the Managing Editor of The INQUIRER Newspaper, Atty Philip N. said the embargo would remain in place until the internal wrangling among the LACC’s officials cease.
He is urging President
Weah to take serious note of the tomfoolery at that integrity institution or else it would lose public trust and confidence in the fight against corruption.