Bryant, Others Must Be Audited -Woods
Forum
Monrovia, Liberia
Distributed by
The Perspective
Atlanta, Georgia
Mr. Woods who was speaking to VOA early yesterday morning said corruption has become endemic to Liberian society and this poses serious threat to peace and stability.
According to Mr. Woods, they (civil groupings) have information and evidence in their possession that chairman Bryant and members of his cabinet are using every available means to block the work of ECOWAS auditing team.
Mr. Woods cited the incidence of Deputy Finance Minister for Administration Tugbe Doe and the Comptroller-General of the Republic of Liberia, Isaac Nyanibo of how they have written ECOWAS authority of their non-compliance to the auditing team because of the injunction at the supreme court.
He said this is why the civil society groupings are carrying on their non-violent campaign to make sure that government’s institutions are audited.
When questioned whether the presence of ECOWAS auditing team in the country was not only aimed at auditing the national transitional legislative assembly (NTLA), Mr. Woods said the mandate of ECOWAS is beyond the scope of NTLA, saying, “it has the mandate to audit all government institutions.”
The FIND boss said if corruption in government is not checked now, it will be difficult for the democratic transition which everyone is talking about to be realized as well as donor support. He said they will not relent in their endeavor until they get a desired result.
Similar concern was raised yesterday by other civil society members in the country when they appeared on radio talk show in continuation of their campaign to unblock the work of ECOWAS auditing team in the country.
According to MESSRS Aloysius Toe and Ezekiel Pajebo of FOHRD and CEDE, a meeting was held and agreed upon with the ECOWAS chief facilitator on the Liberia peace process Gen. Abubakar that the ECOWAS team of auditors should audit all government functionaries in the wake of corruption allegations.
It was also disclosed that on march 22, 2005, Chairman Charles Gyude Bryant sent a letter to ECOWAS representative to Liberia requesting for an audit .
According to these human rights activists, chairman Bryant’s letter stated that since he (Bryant) has been accused of taking us$4 million from the central bank and 1.8 million united states dollars as well as purchasing of a bullet proof jeep, it was proper for ECOWAS to carry on an audit.
Chairman Bryant recently said he has not filed any prohibition at the Supreme Court to derail the work of ECOWAS auditing team and therefore urged his officials to submit to the auditing team.
