Dismissed Former Deputy Commerce Minister Says Her Life Is In Danger
Dismissed former Deputy Commerce Minister Madam Jemima Wolokollie says her life is in danger, days after she was dismissed from her position and subsequently expelled from the ruling Coalition for Democratic Change or CDC party.
Madam Wolokollie told local radio Joy FM that unknown men from the National Security Agency (NSA) have been tailing her since her dismissal and subsequent expulsion from the ruling party.
“Look (referring to what appears to be a failed government loan scheme) because right now NSA is tailing me, my life is in danger,” she told her hosts. “I just want to say, if anything happens to me it will be the (Jefferson) Koijee, the Mulbah Morlu and Thomas Fallah they are tailling me. I want to tell the President to tell his children to stop tailing me,” Madam Wolokollie asserted.
President Weah Tuesday night June 30, dismissed with immediate effect Madam Wolokollie from her deputy ministerial position. Her dismissal letter published on the Executive Mansion website quotes President Weah as saying his decision follows a string of actions incompatible with Deputy Minister Wolokollie’s status as a senior government official.
Months prior to her dismissal she had earlier been suspended by President for alleged insubordination and unprofessionalism but her suspension was later lifted by the President.
But Madam Wolokollie insists that her initial suspension had nothing to do with grudge insubordination to her immediate boss, Prof Wilson Tarpeh, rather it was a fallout from a question she had asked during a meeting in Grand Bassa County back then. She said it is unfortunate that some of the leaders within the ruling party lack discipline and have refused to be discipline into leadership.
She termed as blatant lies reasons given by the party for her expulsion-that she mismanage a US3 million loan scheme. She narrated that the loan was hijacked by her boss, Minister Tarpeh after she had completed the vetting of beneficiaries who were mostly micro business owners and community loan schemes.
She said despite warning from President Weah to Minister Tarpeh and Finance Development Planning Minister Samuel Tweah to have their hands off the loan, Minister Tarpeh still went ahead to hijacked the process. She indicated that to date, Minister Tarpeh is yet to provide an audit report and those to whom he claims to have disbursed 513,000 of the 3 million so far.
“The issues of my dismissal are too many. Of course, we have had our ups and downs at my working place. Like any other ministry, we have had problems. But it was nice working with Commerce Ministry. And then the loan issue. I really want you to ask me for that loan.
For the past two months, we (my boss and I) have been ok. I did not disrespect my boss. When I went to Grand Bassa I asked certain question and that is why the president suspended me (the first time)-it was not because I acted rule to my boss. For the past two months, I enjoyed the working relationship with my boss but for the rest he suppressed me. I wrote series of memos.
The Loan
Ok like, I said the other day, I am going to repeat again. The Government of Liberia decided that it will give small micro loan to small businesses. And the Government was going to give USD1m and LBDI (Liberia bank for Development and Investment) said they were going to give USD2m. And the President said Samuel Tweah, Wilson Tarpeh stay off this loan.
I vetted the (beneficiaries) and the bank said everything was ok, that I have done well. After that my boss whenever I went to the bank they will send me back to my boss. From that day on, my boss took over my office and took over the loan. I never saw that loan again.
They also refused to give me a document concerning the loan. The only document was on a flying sheet to say this is what I have given out-USD 513,000. Then when he sent me that piece of paper, I wrote to him requesting him to give me an audit report and to give me the names and telephone numbers of those small businesses. Every document have been hidden from me.
Anything about this loan is between Wilson Tarpeh and his office. So I don’t want to hear people to telling me about this US3m. It’s my boss. I don’t have the money. Efforts to contact both Mulbah Morlu and Prof. Tarpeh proved futile as their both GSM numbers were said to be off.
Source: ND
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