Preesident Ellen Johnson Sirleaf

Could this be her ELLENGATE, Liberian President Ellen Johnson’s equivalent of Richard Nixon’s Watergate?  The debate is over the crunching of the numbers, numbers as in correctly or incorrectly adding up the dollars Liberia is accused of unlawfully spending by key agencies of the United States government on powerful DC law firms as paid lobbyists.  So get out your calculators out and do the math: Ellen, a Harvard “economist” versus the administration of US President Barack Obama, another Harvard graduate.

The Ellen Johnson regime has been accused by the US White House of carrying out the “unlawful depletion of Liberian resources and their removal from Liberia and secreting of Liberian funds and property” and it is worrisome to the Obama administration that it warrants warning the Congress of the United States about the unacceptable behavior of America’s seemingly runaway stepchild, Liberia. To save myself the added burden of trying to simplify the well crafted message of the US President to the powerful US Congress on the important matter that it now “poses an unusual and extraordinary threat to the foreign policy of the United States, I decided to post the warning on Liberia  unedited for your individual consumption and interpretation.

Issued July 17, 2013 and once every year since 2004, the Office of the Press Secretary to the President put this out with the urgency it carries “for immediate release: Message to Congress—Continuation of the National Emergency with Respect to the Former Liberian Regime of Charles Taylor:”

 TO THE CONGRESS OF THE UNITED STATES:

Section 202(d) of the National Emergencies Act (50 U.S.C 1622(d) provides for the automatic termination of the national emergency unless, within 90 days prior to the anniversary date of its declaration, the President publishes in the Federal Register and transmits to the Congress a notice stating that the emergency is to continue in effect beyond the anniversary date. In accordance with this provision, I (Barack Obama) have sent the enclosed notice to the Federal Register for publication stating that the national emergency and related measures dealing with the former Liberian regime of Charles Taylor are to continue in effect beyond July 22, 2013.

Although Liberia has made advances to promote democracy, and the Special Court for Sierra Leone recently convicted Charles Taylor for war crimes and crimes against humanity, the actions and policies of former Liberian president Charles Taylor and other persons, in particular their unlawful depletion of Liberian resources and their removal from Liberia and secreting of Liberian funds and property, could still challenge Liberia’s efforts to strengthen its democracy and the orderly development of its political, administrative, and economic institutions and resources. These actions and policies continue to pose an unusual and extraordinary threat to the foreign policy of the United Sates.  For this reason, I have determined that it is necessary to continue the national emergency with respect to the former Liberian regime of Charles Taylor.”

                                                             BARACK OBAMA

And you can find the above warning on Liberia at: www.whitehouse.gov/the-press-office. And so what prompted this warning that went into effect in 2004, and more than six years into the presidency of Ellen Johnson that the warning is not yet lifted?  That leads us to take a careful look into reports issued by key US governmental institutions: The State Department Annual Human Rights Report and the latest came out last month and was harsh in its criticism of the Liberian government for alleged “human rights abuses, corruption in all three branches of government and a judiciary where judges take bribes to award cases/judgments.”  And for the purpose of this of this article, I downloaded the US Justice Department/FARA Reports to Congress from the Attorney General on Liberia ’s hired lobbyists and the outrageous amount of money the war torn country’s government is dishing out to powerful DC law firms in the millions of dollars. This all despite a country so devastated by a 14-year civil war that 11 years after the war ended in 2003 the country still lacks electricity and safe drinking water for its citizens.

In campaigning for the presidency in 2005, candidate Ellen Johnson vowed to restore electricity and safe drinking water to its prewar levels in just 150 days upon taking office as president. Sirleaf has now been in office,--if my math is correct which is the subject of this article - 2993 days and we are just 7 days shy of her 3000th day mark in office as president. Talking about promises unfulfilled.

There is currently a debate raging in Liberia about millions of dollars Liberia supposedly spent originating from US government agencies reports for which Ellen took to the airwaves to denounce her perceived enemies as “irresponsible and uninformed” about US$200 million her government doled out in lobbying fees.  In a letter to the Speaker of the House of the House of Representatives of Liberia,   the Liberian leader singled out her most vocal critic, the outspoken Maryland County Representative Bhofal Chambers of doing the country a “great harm” that “it is simply preposterous to believe that with a budget under US$600 million and under a transparent and accountable financial system, the government could spend such an amount,” the president said angrily.

Well, looking at the US Dept. of Justice/FARA,  www.fara.gov  (Foreign Agents Registration Act) Report of the Attorney General to the US Congress, no one is saying, not even Rep. Chambers that US$200 million was dished out in just one year from a single year’s budget. But rather, this has been a pattern over the years even before Ellen took office as the FARA documents will show. It is also irresponsible and disingenuous, misleading, and perhaps a cover-up in the making by President Sirleaf to suggest that the DC firm, KRL International has been the only one hired by Liberia and was paid a mere US$368,609.00 from 2007 to 2013, or as she put it, “US$52,601.00 each year.”

Well, I counted, if my math is correct again, about five PR firms and individuals.  Since this all about math and I’ll be the first to admit my error in counting since I did not go to Harvard University as did my president, and so please forgive me. All calculators out and handy please! Math class underway:

2006: (Ellen took office on January 16, 2006)
*BKSH & Associates, FARA Registration # R5402, $30,000.00 for six month period ending June 30, 2006, Nature of Services: Public Relations for Govt. of Liberia
*JWI, LLC, R#4990, ( Jefferson Waterman International), Finances: None Reported, AmLib United Mineral, Nature of Services: Public Relations. Both of these entities also ran PR for Charles Taylor.
*LISCR, LLC, R#5490, (LISCR is the firm/agent that runs/manages the maritime program for govt of Liberia ) Nature of Services: Lobbying for the
Govt of Liberia . The registrant collected taxes and fees with respect to the maritime and corporate programs of the foreign principal (Govt of Liberia) and disbursed those receipts either to the foreign principal or for the purpose provided under this (FARA) legislation.
$11,796,880.00 for the six month period ending April 30, 2006
*BKSH & Associates, $20,000.00 for the six month period ending December 31, 2006
*JWI, LLC, Finances: Non Reported, Nature of Services: Public
Relations, AmLib United Minerals
*LISCR, LLC, $7,939,255.00 for the six month period ending October 31, 2006
Nature of Services: Lobbying for the Govt of Liberia

2007:
*JWI, LLC, $31,933.38, for the six month  period ending February 28, 2007, Nature of Services: Public Relations, AmLib United Minerals
*KRL International, LLC, R#5788, Nature of Services: Public Relations, Finances: None Reported; Willis Knuckles, Minister of State for Presidential Affairs, Office of the President of Liberia
*LISCR, LLC, $6,520,339.00 for the six month period ending April 30, 2007; Nature of Services: Lobbying for the Govt of Liberia
*LISCR, LLC, $8,445,076.00 for the six month period ending October 31, 2007; Nature of Services: Lobbying for the Govt of Liberia
*Radelet, Steven Charles, R#5823, Nature of Services: Lobbying for the Govt of Liberia ; Finances: None Reported

2008:
*LISCR, LLC, $22,841,358.00 for the six month period ending April 30, 2008, Nature of Services: Lobbying for the Govt of Liberia;
*Radelet, Steven Charles, Nature of Services: Lobbying; Finances: None Reported
*Radelet, Steven Charles, $90,000.00 for the six month period ending December 12, 2008; Nature of Services: Lobbying for the Govt of Liberia

2009:
*JWI, LLC, $51,922.12 for the six month period ending February 28, 2009; Nature of Services: Public Relations, AmLib United Minerals
*KRL International, LLC, $40,814.00 for the six month period ending January 31, 2009, Edward McClain, Minister of State for Presidential Affairs, Office of the President of Liberia; Nature of Services: Public Relations
*LISCR, LLC, $14,289,604.00 for the six month period ending April 30, 2009; Nature of Services: Lobbying for the Govt of Liberia
*JWI, LLC, $50,000.00 for the six month period ending August 31, 2009; Nature of Services: Public Relations, AmLib United Minerals
*KRL International, LLC, $40,000.00 for the six month period ending July 31, 2009, Nature of Services: Public Relations, Edward McClain, Minister of State for Presidential Affairs, Office of the President of Liberia
*LISCR, LLC, $19,225,028.00 for the six month period ending October 31, 2009; Nature of Services: Lobbying for the Govt of Liberia

2010:
*JWI, LLC, Nature of Services: Public Relations, AmLib United Minerals; Finances: None Reported
*KRL International, LLC, $69,950.00 for the six month period ending January 31, 2010; Nature of Services: Public Relations , Minister of State for Presidential Affairs, Office of the President of Liberia
*LISCR, LLC, $16,272,027.00 for the six month period ending April 30, 2010; Nature of Services: Lobbying for the Govt of Liberia
*KRL International, LLC, $60,000.00 for the six month period ending July 31, 2010; Nature of Services: Public Relations, Edward McClain, Minister of State for Presidential Affairs, Office of the President of Liberia
*LISCR, LLC, $29,459,294.00 for the six month period ending October 31, 2010; Nature of Services: Lobbying for Govt of Liberia

2011:
*KRL International, LLC, $35,000.00 for the six month period ending January 31, 2011, Nature of Services: Public Relations; Edward McClain, Minister of State for Presidential Affairs, Office of the President of Liberia
*LISCR, LLC, $41,101,147.00 for the six month period ending April 30, 2011; Nature of Services: Lobbying for the Govt of Liberia
*KRL International, LLC, $30,000.00 for the six month period ending July 31, 2011; Nature of Services: Public Relations, Edward McClain, Minister of State for Presidential Affairs, Office of the President of Liberia
*LISCR, LLC, $34,878,080.00 for the six month period ending October 31, 2011; Nature of Services: Other for the Govt of Liberia

2012:
*KRL International, LLC,  $30,000.00 for the six month period ending January 31, 2012; Nature of Services: Public Relations; Edward McClain, Minister of State for Presidential Affairs, Office of the President of Liberia
*LISCR, LLC, $37,583,564.00 for the six month period ending April 30, 2012; Nature of Services: Other, for the Government of Liberia.

It is worth mentioning that the agent who runs LISCR, gets a good commission for running Liberia ’s maritime program. An example would be information found on “Attachment #2 of the NSD/FARA Registration Unit, filed on May 29, 2013 at 10:43:38 A.M. where he or she got paid US$6,900,184.00 as “agent fees paid to LISCR, LLC from the Liberian Registry as compensation for management services rendered.” This information is contained on the supplemental statement, Item 14 (A) Receipts-Monies covering November 1, 2012 through April 30, 2013, after LISCR collected all corporate fees and taxes and all other related fees and taxes, making the total funds collected on behalf of the Government of Liberia US$39,486,665.00, according to FARA..   And before I forget, LISCR President Yorem Cohen when cited to appear before the House committees to testify was a no-show, and quoted on the excuse that he was on “medical leave.” Hope he gets well soon for he has a lot of questions to answer.

It is also worth noting that war ravaged Liberia--which is desperate for money where teachers and healthcare workers are owed months and some years in back wages; and the country’s only highest institution of learning, University of Liberia has been closed since November last year due to low wages for college professors, student grievances and other administrative problems-- was generous enough that US$120,000.00 was donated to a wealthy US candidate running for governor paid out in two installments of $60,000.00 on December 11, 2012 and another $60,000.00 on January 28, 2013. Yet, President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf says only US$368,609.00 from 2007 to 2013. Like during the Richard Nixon Watergate era, Liberians are asking Ellen to come clean. What does the president know and when did she know it? Hope she doesn’t bark like Nixon to say “I am not a crook.” Time will tell. 

I strongly sense a major cover-up by President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf and her staff in the hastily prepared statement she put out on Tuesday to trash the various US government agencies that have raised the alarm that there is massive corruption in the government of Liberia.  Even if the amount of $368,609.00 that Ellen says her government has spent for public relations purposes from 2007 to 2013, how does she answer her critics who are now parading these US Justice Department/FARA documents around and on the internet that detail millions of dollars to US PR firms as payments for public relations services rendered on behalf of the government of Liberia? It also raises the question if the money she said she spent on PR was ever approved by the Liberian Legislature?  If the money goes back to 2007, why is she now disclosing the information after an investigation is underway in the House of Representatives?  And let it be known that US$368,609.00 by Liberian standards is too much money to waste for a country coming out of war. 

What is about Liberia that the US government does not already know, knowing very well it was the United States that helped to end Liberia ’s 14-year bloody war that left the country’s infrastructures totally destroyed? Ellen owes the Liberian people a justifiable explanation for such unwarranted spending of Liberian money that now borders on corruption.  We call on the United States government and President Barack Obama to help the Liberian people get to the bottom of the matter for which he himself has issued yearly warnings to the US Congress.  We strongly commend Maryland Representatives Bhofal.Chambers and Montserrado County Representative Acarous M. Gray (both CDC) for mustering the courage to bring this critical matter up in the House of Representatives of Liberia for debate. The Speaker of the House of Representative, Hon. Alex Tyler should leave no stone unturned in getting to the bottom of the story. And so let the chips fall where they may. In true democracy, no one is above the law, and Ellen the Harvard  graduate should be the first to know this.

JWI and AmLib Mineral also ran PR for Charles Taylor. See links published below:
http://www.theperspective.org/jwi.html
http://www.theperspective.org/imageproblem.html,

For a copy of the FARA Report, text your email to: 301-789-7786.

Jerry Wehtee Wion, 301-789-7786
LANS News-518-556-1343
On Face book: Jay Wion