Green Revolution’s Efforts Put Pro-Temp Chie, Others on Knees, Lauds US Gov’t Imposition of Sanction

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The political pressure and advocacy group, Green Revolution of Liberia has lauded the United States Government for its latest targeted sanctions of corrupt Liberian government officials, who have abused their respective offices, engaged in massive corruption, human rights violations and perpetration of violence over the last couple of years in Liberia.

On Friday, 8 December 2023 in keeping with former US Ambassador McCarthy’s pre-departure media engagement regarding a new wave of US targeted sanctions against corrupt officials and human rights violators in Liberia, the United States Treasury Department through its OFAC, slammed Monrovia City Mayor Jefferson Koijee with targeted sanctions “for having a reputation for stoking violence and has a powerful grip on Monrovia’s youth. He controls paramilitary-style organizations associated with the CDC which allegedly recruits former combatants and recently released prisoners. OFAC has reason to believe that Koijee has instructed these organizations to violently disrupt demonstrations conducted by government critics or political opposition. Koijee and his supporters have been involved in violence in connection with: an opposition rally in July 2022, students attending a memorial service for former Liberian president Amos Sawyer in March 2022, an anti-rape protest in August 2020, a student graduation ceremony in December 2019, and an opposition rally in November 2018. Koijee has also engaged in corrupt acts, including bribery and misappropriation of state assets for use by private political movements and pressuring anti-corruption investigators to halt corruption investigations.”

Koijee is being designated for being a foreign person who is responsible for or complicit in, or who has directly or indirectly engaged in, serious human rights abuse and for being a foreign person who is a current or former government official, or a person acting for or on behalf of such an official, who is responsible for or complicit in, or who has directly or indirectly engaged in, corruption, including the misappropriation of state assets, the expropriation of private assets for personal gain, corruption related to government contracts or the extraction of natural resources, or bribery pursuant to E.O. 13818.”

And on Monday, December 11, 2023 the US government also sanctioned Finance Minister Samuel Tweah, Senators Albert Chie and Emmanuel Nuquay. The US Gov’t said, “Pursuant to Section 7031 ©, 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 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.”

This round of sanctions comes on the occasion of International Anti-Corruption Day and the opening of Conference of States Parties to the UN Convention Against Corruption on December 11, 2023. The United States said they are taking the following actions to promote accountability for corrupt actors around the world, including Liberia.

Green Revolution’s Advocacy

It can be recalled that in March 2022, the pressure, pro-democracy and advocacy group, the Green Revolution of Liberia called on the United States Congress to speedily pass a Resolution/Bill intended to impose sanctions on targeted corrupt government officials in Liberia.

In a statement issued on Wednesday, March 9, 2022 in Monrovia said it was committed and diligent in propagating the interest of the poor masses in the country, including the downtrodden, disadvantaged youthful population and is therefore to expose what it calls “the perpetual complicated criminality within our mineral industry”.

The Green Revolution made specific reference to Senate Pro-Tempore Albert Chie, who the group described and accused of being a ringleader of a cartel that controls the mineral industry in Liberia, as he allegedly pushed the nomination of the current Minister of Mines and Energy, Gesler Murray and four other officials at the ministry. According to the group, the Senator holds a major share in BeaMountain VERSORO Resources Company currently mining in Grand Cape Mount County, while a geology company named and styled Earthcom Liberia is owned and operated by the Senator. The group also alleges that the mineral deposits map of Liberia under the USAID sponsorship study is in the custody of Earthcom.

“The government is at the verge of thwarting our many gains as the country is in a shambles of corruption, lawlessness, fragrant human rights violations, extra Judicial killings and mass stealing without actions or prosecutions,” the group statement in March 2022 added.

“We affirm our support to the US Congress for recent stand taking and we pray that it will speedily pass the Resolution/Bill before calling for “Sanction” against Liberian public officials for their customary corruptive acts against the state and the ordinary people of Liberia.” Green Revolution emphasized in March 2022.

Green Revolution Lauds United States Government

Meanwhile, the Green Revolution of Liberia says its efforts to unearth corruption in the mining sector, where Senator Albert Chie has enormous control has paid off with the imposition of sanction on the Senate Pro-Temp. 

The political pressure and advocacy group further states the imposition of sanctions on Senate Pro-Tempore Chie and others, including Jefferson Koijee, Samuel Tweah and Senator Emmanuel Nuquay has sent a signal that despite failure of the outgoing Liberian government to heed their calls, Liberia’s traditional ally, the United States has heeded its calls and acted in the interest of Liberia to save the nation from unscrupulous government officials who want to pillage the country’s resources for selfish gains.

The Green Revolution applauds the United States Government for always coming to the rescue of the ordinary people of Liberia, whose rights have always been trampled upon by greedy individuals in public offices. 

The group concludes by calling on the incoming administration of Amb. Joseph Boakai to heed the pleads of Liberians by instituting legal proceedings against all those former and current government officials who the United States government has imposed targeted sanctions against. Green Revolution says failure of the incoming Boakai’s administration to prosecute these alleged public officials, the group will not hesitate to institute systematic pressure from all political fronts to compel it to satisfy the wishes of the Liberian people in the fight against corruption, human rights abuses, perpetration of violence and public abuse of offices.