A Liberian businessman turned politician, Sheikh Al-Moustapha Kouyateh has revealed how the Minister of the Ministry Foreign Affairs. Dee Maxwell Kemayeh has openly violated the code of conduct which states “No person, whether elected or appointed to any public office, shall engage in any other activity which shall be against public policy, or constitute conflict of interest”.
In this, addressing a news conference in Monrovia today, August 30, 2022, Mr. Kouyateh revealed that the Minister of Foreign Affairs has placed his family members including his wife, mother and other siblings on salary when he served as Permanent Representative to the United Nations, in New York.
He also disclosed that Minister Kemayah’s mother, Mawata Lamie was allegedly employed to serve as cook; collecting the total of US$79,200.00 for three years at the rate of US$2,200 monthly, and while appointing his wife as Minister Counsel, at the Liberian Mission in the United States with a quarterly rental obligation of US$12,000.00. with a monthly salary of $2,906, while the Deputy Minister Counsel General (her Supervisor) received a quarterly rent of US$9,300.00. he said despite Mrs. Kamayah no longer serving at the Liberian Mission in New York, Mr. Kouyateh alleged that she still receiving such salary US$2,906; while her supervisor, Kim Greene Kofa also is receiving the amount of $2,902.
Mr. Kouyateh who is also the founding chairperson of ‘We The People’s Movement’, a political group also revealed that while Kamayah was in New York he employed his sister in law, Theresa Lamie Mason to the position of 2nd Secretary/Vice Counsel with the salary of US$2,200. Previously, noting that she was assigned with the Consulate in New York, and later transferred to Washington DC as First Secretary/Counsel when Minister Kamayah served as Deputy Minister for Administration at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
Speaking further at the news conference, Kouyateh said, “We have also gathered that the brother-in-law of Mr. Maxwell Kamayah, Otis Mason, wasemployed as First Secretary in New York with the salary US$2,300. At the same time, Mr. Kamayah clandestinely added his clinic, (the Mawata Clinic) to the 2018/2019 budget in the amount of US$250,000.00, and 2019/2020 budget in the amount of US$150,000.00”, he told journalists.
“I am concerned about a report regarding the Liberian citizen (Sheik Basheru Kante) who was allegedly arrested in America for money
laundering and holding a Liberian diplomatic passport (#DP-0000729). The same passport was also issued to a Liberian diplomat Hellen S. Momo who is currently the second secretary at the Liberian embassy in the US. The refusal of the Minister of foreign affairs (Mr. Kamayah) to adhere to the one week mandate or instruction by the President of Liberia (George M. Weah) is a gross disrespect to the office of the Presidency and it also undermined the sovereignty of our country. This in my view as a Liberian, I personally term this as Exploitation, Gross Corruption, Nepotism and a disrespect against the will of Liberians and their Resources”, he noted.
Effort to contact Minister Dee Maxwell Kemayah on the allegation levied against him by Kouyateh failed as his mobile phone could not be answered. However, when our reporter visited his Foreign Ministry he could not also be reached. Our investigation continues.
In a related development, Kouyateh has commended the United States Government through the Treasury Department for the imposition of sanctions on three senior Liberian Government officials recently for their alleged involvement in massive corruption. He further used the occasion to express thanks and appreciation to the Liberian President, Dr. George Manneh Weah for his farsightedness without favor to suspend those officials who have been sanctioned by the U.S. Treasury Department. As we applaud the President, we will highly be overwhelm if he goes beyond the suspension of these officials and move further by dismissing them, if this is done it will serve as a deterrent to others who believed the culture of impunity should be their hallmark”, he told journalists at the news conference.
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