By Bill W. Cooper
An investigation conducted by this paper has established that the Liberia Anti-Corruption Commission (LACC) has recently launched an investigation on an alleged rampant corruption involving National Elections Commission Chairperson and three other officials.
Those being investigated are Davidetta Browne Lansanah; the Commission’s Executive Director, Anthony Sengbeh and Comptroller, Jawah Gray; as Lansanah and her team are still being haunted for some financial irregularities and misconduct during one of the country’s recent by-elections.
These allegations of corruption have since raised serious concerns about the integrity of the electoral process in Liberia owing to the fact that the NEC is responsible for overseeing and conducting free and fair elections in Liberia and as such, any acts of corruption within the Commission undermines the democratic principles and values of the nation.
It can be recalled that the Inquirer Newspaper reported that Madam Lansanah was accused of some devious disbursement of US$160,000 at the Commission just ahead of the conduct of the country’s two by-elections.
Documents in our possession also showed that the NEC made available an over US$160,000 in payment to a local vendor for services relating to the by-elections but that seems not to be the reality as the scheme to dupe the government through a ‘fraudulent transaction’ was initially resisted by one of the commissioners at NEC but was later succumbed to the boss’ demand.
According to the documents, the NEC boss allegedly connived with a local vendor to embezzle the government’s funds on account that the vendor delivered election material to NEC even though there was no importation of electoral materials.
Also, those election materials being used were cover-ups because they were materials that were left over from the past election and were repacked; so accordingly, Madam Lansanah in collaboration with the vendor prepared a payment voucher and delivery note to facilitate their operation.
It is alleged that there are no shipment records of vendors delivering to the Commission any recent election materials and every document to facilitate the payment was cooked allegedly by the chairperson and the vendor.
This is not the first time Madam Lansanah had been accused of such manipulative corruption, as it followed after she awarded a dubious contract to her brother to provide election equipment in 2017 but that report was however denied by the commission through a release.
The NEC boss, in the release issued vehemently denied all accusations, stating that she or her deputies have always acted with integrity and transparency in their roles, describing the allegations as fake news and disinformation.
“On the contrary, all materials that were already available in the NEC central warehouse to be used for the by-elections were never budgeted for procurement, and we call on all journalists to follow the ABC of journalism at all times to ensure a safe and credible society,” the release added.
But according to our sources at the LACC, the investigation into the alleged corruption saga at the NEC started a week before last Thursday, and the NEC chairperson was last Thursday, invited at the LACC where she then gave her official statement regarding the matter.
According to our source who spoke on the basis of anonymity, the three NEC officials are being investigated for alleged corruption and conflict of interest for increasing the price of thermometer and awarding of contracts to her Madam Browne Lansanah’s brother without PPCC’s approval during the VR update in 2020.
Also, our source disclosed that investigation also about the recent procurement of Elections materials for the Nimba County and Grand Gedeh District 1 by-election which was used from the commission warehouse but money was paid from the government in 2023.
Our source maintained that another allegation that the three NEC officials are being investigated for is the diversion of funds intended for employees that was approved for employees benefit but was never paid after the 2023 general Presidential election and was diverted to an unknown destination.
Our source at the same time assured that the commission has reaffirmed its commitment to ensure the conduct of a thorough and impartial investigation into the matter, ensuring that those responsible for the alleged corruption are held accountable.
Our source further intoned that the commission has already begun gathering evidence, interviewing witnesses, and examining financial records to build a strong case against the accused officials but failed to disclose as to when the investigation will be concluded and findings made public.
Our source added, “I can assure you that the LACC is key about the importance of upholding transparency, accountability, and integrity in the electoral process. And as such, any form of corruption within the NEC or any other government entity will not be tolerated and will be met with swift action.”
Meanwhile, the investigation into the NEC officials comes at a critical time for Liberia, as the country continues to grapple with political instability, economic challenges as well as its fight against corruption in public offices.
Also, the outcome of the investigation will have far-reaching implications for the future of democracy and governance in Liberia as well as will determine whether the government of President Joseph Boakai is committed to fighting corruption at all levels or will be ‘business as usual.’
With the investigation ongoing, Liberians are closely watching, hoping for a swift and just resolution to the matter as the outcome of this investigation will further have a lasting impact on the country’s democratic institutions and will shape the future of governance in Liberia.
