Duanah Siryon, Managing Director of the National Housing Authority (NHA) has been arrested by the Liberia National Police, the Liberia Anti-Corruption Commission and the National Security Agency, following a FrontPage Africa publication of a leaked tape in which he was heard soliciting bribes from a Burkinabe construction firm.
He was arrested Friday afternoon along with one of his principal deputies while the other is still at large. The pair who was picked up at their NHA offices are undergoing investigation at the Liberia National Police headquarters in Monrovia.
In the recording, the representative of GELPAZ in Liberia, Augustus Weah who is also the vice president of the company, alleged that NHA Managing Director Mr. Duanah Siryon had requested kickback in the tone of US$160,000 for NHA, US$100,000 for Justice Minister, US$100,000 for Nathaniel McGill and US$100,000for Finance Minister before the contract can be consummated.
According to Weah, he negotiated with Siryon that they (GELPAZ) did not have that amount of money on hand but had made some transfer via LBDI Bank and could produce US$80,000 to be split between Minister McGill, his team and the NHA.
“After that the US$80,000 was presented to Duanah Siryon, and he told me ‘I’ll give you US$20,000 to keep and I’ll take the US$60,000 to McGill to disburse.’,” Weah is heard saying the leaked audio.
Weah further alleged that the NHA Managing Director requested and was offered a percentage in the construction, but pleaded that such would be kept secret from his principal deputies.
Weah was explaining to some employees of NHA after he received information that Siryon had accused him of receiving US$400,000 for President Weah (his cousin) and other members of the Executive branch for the consummation of the MOU in order for GELPAZ to start construction works. Weah had said he was confronted about the money by the President via a WhatsApp message when he was in Paris, France in September.
Credit:FPA
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