By Bill W. Cooper
Days following the sanctioning of Monrovia City Mayor Jefferson Koijee, the United States Department of Treasury has again sanctioned three of Liberia’s government officials over their alleged involvement in significant corruption.
The U.S Department of Treasury release issued late last night said, “Pursuant to Section 7031(c), the United States is publicly designating Tweah, Chie, and Nuquay, for their involvement in significant corruption by abusing their public positions through soliciting, accepting, and offering bribes to manipulate legislative processes and public funding, including legislative reporting and mining sector activity.”
“As part of this action, their immediate family members are also designated, including their spouses Delecia Berry Tweah, Abigail Chie, and Ruthtoria Brown Nuquay, and Tweah and Nuquay’s minor children,” the U.S release maintained.
Additionally, the release mentioned, “on December 8, Treasury designated Mayor of Monrovia Jefferson Koijee pursuant to E.O. 13818 for engaging, or having been a leader of an entity that has engaged in serious human rights abuse and corruption.”
“In addition to serious human rights abuse, Koijee engaged in corrupt acts, including bribery and misappropriation of state assets and pressuring anti-corruption investigators to halt all corruption investigations,” the release added.
It can be recalled that over the U.S. Department of the Treasury pursuant to Executive Order (E.O.) 13818 sanctioned Mayor Jefferson Koijee over his alleged involvement into serious human rights abuses and corruption.
Koijee, according to the U.S. Department of Treasury is also accused of corrupt acts such as bribery and misappropriation of state assets coupled with the pressuring of anti-corruption investigators to cease all corruption investigations.
The sanctions, accordingly underscore the U.S. commitment to holding accountable those involved in corrupt practices and human rights abuses globally.
Additionally, the actions were announced on the occasion of the opening of the Conference of States Parties to the UN Convention Against Corruption, emphasizing the international effort to combat corruption.
Meanwhile, as part of the broader initiative, the U.S. Department of State also designated over 30 individuals under Section 7031(c), while the Department of the Treasury is designating two individuals and 44 entities pursuant to E.O. 13818.
Those other individuals sanctioned by the U.S. government are from Afghanistan former Speaker of Parliament, Mir Rahman Rahmani and former Member of the Afghan Parliament, Ajmal Rahmani, and Bosnia and Herzegovina former state prosecutor, Diana Kajmakovic.
Others are Dominican Republic former Attorney General, Jean Alain Rodriguez Sanchez; Haiti former Prime Minister and Minister of Planning and External Cooperation, Jean-Max Bellerive; Nenel Cassy, former Senator, and Osman “Osmica” Mehmedagic, former Director General for BiH’s Intelligence Security Agency.
Herve Fourcand, former Senator; Republic of the Marshall Islands Minister of Transportation and Communication, Kessai Note; Senator, and former President and Senator Mike Halferty were all sanctioned as well.
The Global Magnitsky Human Rights Accountability Act, upon which E.O. 13818 is built, enables the U.S. to target individuals and entities involved in corruption and human rights abuses.
Furthermore, Section 7031© mandates that foreign government officials with credible information linking them to significant corruption or gross violations of human rights are generally ineligible for entry into the United States.
The officials must be publicly or privately designated under the provision, as the sanctions imposed under Section 7031© of the Department of State, Foreign Operations, and Related Programs Appropriations Act, 2023, highlighted the U.S. commitment to combating corruption on a global scale.
