Unbending! Senator Konneh insists On Actions Against Minister of State, Others

As Montserrado County Senator Abraham Darius Dillon presided over Thursday, April 25, 2024 plenary session of the Liberian Senate, his co-complainant, Gbarpolu County Senator, Amara Mohammed Konneh remained insistence in demanding the Minister of State for Presidential Affairs, Sylvester Grigsby for his alleged dubious ordering of the National Social Security and Welfare Corporation or NASSCORP to purchase five new SUV vehicles for the then new leadership elect.

It can be recalled that in a letter co-signed by Gbarpolu Senator  Konneh and Montserraro County Senator  Dillon, the two Senators asked Mr. Grigsby to honorably resign his position due to his action.

Document in the possession of this paper obtained from high placed source revealed that a lieutenant of the President Joseph Nyuma Boakai’s administration in person of Mr. Grigsby requested from NASSCORP to help the inaugural team secure five (5) SUVs for the use of VIP guests attending the Inauguration and thereafter to help ease the transport need of the Ministry of State.

“Dear Mr. Director General: We are facing very serious challenges with respect to logistics and transportation for the inaugural activities. Even after the inauguration the Ministry of State will be in continued dire need for transportation. In view of the foregoing, we wish to request that you kindly secure for us five (5) SUVs for the use of VIP guests attending the Inauguration and thereafter to help ease the transport need of the Ministry of State,” said the communication.

Mr. Grigsby’s communication clearly suggests that since 2006, NASSCORP has become every President's cash cow.

The communication also prompted the Director General of NASSCORP, Mr. Dewitt von Ballmoos to contact the Director General of SIB Bank, Mr. Joseph Anin, to stand as guarantee for the credit of the vehicle from CICA Motors.

“I extend my warm compliments and best wishes for the New Year. Based on a request from the Transitional team for assistance to facilitate logistics arrangements during the upcoming inauguration program, NASSCORP has agreed and arranged to purchase a Land Cruiser vehicle from CICA Motors with a deferred payment of 30- 45 days (e.g. March 15,2024). CICA is requiring that we secure and provide them a Payment Guarantee from our bankers in order to be able to effect the sale of the vehicle to NASSCORP on such basis.”

“NASSCORP therefore would like to request SIB to proceed to issue the requisite Payment Guarantee on our behalf to CICA Motor for the amount of US$117,000.00 (0ne hundred Seventeen Thousand United States Dollars) to be paid by March 15, 2024. Copy of the invoice for the Toyota Land Cruiser 300 LC300 provided by CICA Motors is herewith attached.”

And as Senator Dillon, who chairs the Committee on Foreign Affairs presided over plenary – the highest decision making body of the Liberian Senate, Senator Konneh took to the floor and maintained their stances.

In addition to the Minister of State’s resignation, the Gbarpolu Senator, who served as Minister of Finance during the regime of former President Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf, also wants President Joseph Nyuma Boakai to seriously reprimand the Director General of NASSCORP, and instruct the Minister of Finance to reimburse NASSCORP the full costs of the vehicles from the Ministry of State’s budget.

Sen. Konneh further argued that the deal was dubious to the point that it was done outside of the Public Procurement and Concession Commission (PPCC) and Public Financial Management (PFM) Laws (as amended).

Among other things, Sen. Konneh used the floor to emphasize the bad governance practice of using State-owned Enterprises (SOEs) as slush funds as he went on to reiterate their recommendations that the President take the following measures to remedy the situation.  

Senators Konneh and Dillon had in their intervention had called on President Boakai to leave no stone unturned by taking appropriate actions.