Wasn’t this new Minister, R. Matenokay Tingban, the same guy who served as Chairman of the House Committee on Lands, Mines, Energy and Natural Resources, implicated in a House bribery scandal?? In 2016, Tingban’s committee was accused of soliciting a US$1.5 million bribe from Hummingbird Resources to ensure that their MDA (Mineral Development Agreement would be ratified. (Re “Liberian Lawmakers Dispel Hummingbird US$1.5M Bribery” Frontpageafrica, December 13, 2016)
But according to the article, the then Chairman Tingban said that those allegations were false and misleading, describing it as blackmail. He further stated that he had “not seen the email that is implicating the committee to an act of soliciting bribery to pass the Hummingbird Agreement” (by the way, Tingban is still waiting for that missing email to convice himself)!
But we all know that crooks, liars, and thieves earned their reputations over a period of time. Since President Charile King time (1920), Liberian Lawmakers have been taking bribes to pass budgets, confirm political appointees, and ratify concession agreements! In 1926, the Liberian Legislature ratified a concession agreement, granting Firestone unprecedented privileges for pennies! You can’t beat that, can you?? The founder of Firestone (Harvey Firestone) was laughing all the way to bank!
In 2010, we learned that Rep. Moses Y Kollie, then Chairman of the House Committee on Concession was “paid” 6 % in company (international Consultant Capital) shares to push legislation to reduce the company’s annual fees by 80 % to the Liberian Government. (Re “When Lawmaker Break the Law, Poor, Innocent Liberian left to Suffer, Frontpageafrica).
In 2011, Rep Alomiza Ennos (CDC-District #1, Monsterrado County) was accused of receiving US$80,000 as “cold water”from NOCAL’s Board of Directors to ratify oil contracts (Re “Several Gov’t Officials Linked to Bribery, Liberian Observer)…
In 2016, Alex Tyler, former Speaker was indicted for corruption and bribery in the Global Witness Scandal. Several government offiicials, including lawmakers were accused of receiving US$950,000 in bribe money from a British Company (Sable Mining) to make changes to the the MDA in their favor!
Do you see a pattern here? I do…where there’s smoke, there’s fire! Liberian Lawmakers have a history of taking bribes! So, why would anyone conclude that the then Chairman Tingban didn’t know about the bribe money or received bribe money to ratify the Hummingbird concession agreement? Or did Boakai give him (Tingbah) the benefit of the doubt?? If so, why?
Martin Scott
Atlanta, Georgia
