By Amos Harris
Monrovia, Liberia — The Office of the Ombudsman has ordered the immediate reinstatement of three senior National Port Authority (NPA) employees, ruling their dismissals were illegal and violated Liberia’s Code of Conduct and constitutional due process.
In a 14-page report released on July 25, 2025, the Ombudsman found that Sema G. Tulay, Georgina Dixon, and Annett S. Nebo were unlawfully terminated by NPA management. Ombudsman Cllr. Finley Garnger condemned the NPA’s actions during a press briefing on Thursday, July 31, 2025, calling them “blatant violations” of Article 20(a) of the 1986 Liberian Constitution, which guarantees the right to due process.
“The dismissals were executed without adherence to established disciplinary procedures and without affording the affected employees the right to a fair hearing,” Cllr. Garnger stated.
The Ombudsman’s decision mandates that the three employees be reinstated to their positions with full retroactive salaries and benefits. Furthermore, NPA Managing Director Sekou Dukuly and the institution’s legal counsel have been ordered to undergo mandatory administrative governance training at the Liberia Institute of Public Administration (LIPA) within seven days, at their personal expense. Non-compliance could lead to formal recommendations for their suspension.
Jurisdictional Dispute and Precedent
The NPA’s legal team, led by Cllr. Pei Edwin Gausi, had argued that the dismissals were purely labor-related and outside the Ombudsman’s jurisdiction, and that the employees were not public officials. However, the Ombudsman rejected these claims, clarifying that as a state-owned enterprise, the NPA is part of the Executive Branch and is subject to ethical oversight.
“The NPA falls directly under the purview of the Executive Branch of Government and, by law, is subject to the supervisory authority of the Office of the Ombudsman,” the report stated.
This ruling has been communicated to the Ministry of Labor and the NPA Board of Directors for enforcement. This decision is seen as a significant test of the Ombudsman’s power and is likely to set a legal precedent for how public institutions in Liberia handle disciplinary actions and uphold ethical governance standards.
In a separate matter, Cllr. Garnger addressed rumors about the ownership of the Ombudsman’s office building, confirming there are no personal or family ties to the property’s owner. “We are tenants in this building… The owner is not a relative of mine, nor connected to any of my family members; any rumors suggesting otherwise are false and misleading,” he clarified. He invited journalists to verify the ownership independently.
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