Earlier this week, the Liberia National Police (LNP) charged and forwarded to court three officials of the Central Bank of Liberia (CBL) for allegedly stealing government’s money in the tone of US$961,777.15.
The defendants are charged based on multiple offenses ranging from Theft of Property, Economic Sabotage and Criminal Conspiracy. Defendants Yome W. Titus, Alfreda S. Lighe, and Tarr Dicker were detained by Magistrate Ben Barco for several hours while Jongo Armah Chenoweth is at-large.
Police investigation uncovers that August 14, 2024, the Central Bank of Liberia Acting Governor Henry Saamoi filed a complaint with the Liberia National Police through its Inspector General Gregory O.W. Coleman of an alleged bank fraud against the government of Liberia.
Acting Governor Saamoi complaint was attended to on the same day with the Financial Crime Investigation Division (FCID), Crime Services Department of the Liberia National Police for investigation.
Accordingly, CBL authority instructed its staffs at the Accountant Pool to reverse an abnormal US$1,379,391.42 from the CBL Teller Thirty Account at the Liberia Revenue Authority Headquarters in Paynesville to credit Government of Liberia Payroll 2024 and to debit the Teller Thirty Account, but it was later noticed that three CBL employees Yome W. Titus, Afreda S. Lighe and Tarr Dicker who were designated to perform the task, on their own transferred the amount of US$961,777.15 to a bank account (00521811046600102) at the International Bank Limited (IB) contrary to the work practice.
During police investigation gathered that on August 1, 2024, the Central Bank of Liberia through Mr. William Grant Jlopleh, Director for Banking Department (CBL), instructed the CBL Risk and Compliance Department headed by Edward B. Fahnbulleh to investigate an abnormal balance of (US$1,379,391.42) one million three hundred seventy nine thousand three hundred ninety one and forty two cents.
As instructed, the Risk and Compliance Department did investigate and recommend to the authority of the CBL through William Grant Jlopleh that the CBL should bear the funds for (a) debit GoL payroll account 2024 with US$961,777.15 and (b) credit teller thirty operational Account with US$417,614.27.
The police charge sheet revealed that based on the CBL Banking Procedure (6.2.1 CBL Banking Manual), Director Jlopleh, attention the recommendation to the CBL Revenue Unit headed by Tarr Dicker and Yome W. Titus, head of the Accounting Pool, to review the recommendation and process the file and revert through the ladder of authority for approval to reverse the above mentioned amount from Teller Thirty Operational Account as recommended.
The charge sheet alleged that the reversal in the instance case has nothing to do with commercial banks, rather from CBL Teller Thirty Operational to CBL GoL Payroll Account 2024 and Teller Thirty Operational Account.
Defendant Titus, beside authorizing the transfer of US$961,777.15 out of the US$1,379,391.42 to the commercial bank which he shouldn’t have touched, he also watched accountant Alfreda S. Lighe moved the US$961,777.15 from the CBL USD Suspense Account #1261300220001 on the CBL Government of Liberia Revenue Account fiscal year 2024 #(1602007008) then to the CBL Ecobank Liberia Limited account #1160400020001, to the CBL TSA consolidated account, and finally to a commercial bank, the International Bank Liberia Limited account 00521811046600102 contrary to the recommendation from the Risk and Compliance Department and the instruction from William Grant Jlopleh, Director of Banking CBL.
The investigation said that the reversal did not require movement of the funds through all of the various CBL account numbers mentioned, rather CBL GoL Payroll Account FY2024 and Teller Thirty Operational Account.
According to court documents, the reversal entries in the instance case executed by Alfreda S. Lighe and Yome Titus should not have gone through the real time gross settlement as it has nothing to do with commercial banks.
It mentioned that the authorization of the funds and the subsequent transfer to the commercial bank in about two hours grossly breached the CBL banking manual 6.1.2 that required execution of entries as such by the CBL Accounting Pool should be authorized and approved by the Assistant/Deputy Director of Banking etc. wherein the concerns authorities must sign in spaces indicated on the reversal form.
The document maintained that as indicated on the bank statement obtained by the investigation from the international Bank Liberia Limited through a writ of subpoena, the A/C 0052181146600102 was opened on March 1, 2018 with the A/C title SQL Data Solution Group Inc. with office address at boys town, RIA highway, email address www.sqldatasolutiongroup.org by the individuals’ signature card.
On August 6, 2024, the account which was inactive from 2022 through 2023 was activated. Accordingly, the US$961,777.15 actually hit the IB A/C #0052181146600102 on August 7, 2024 and subsequently on the same day, a person to be identified went at the said bank and did a checkbook transaction in an attempt to withdraw the money as indicated on the bank statement.
The charge sheet said from the opening date of the account January 1, 2018 to August 6, 2024, the total amount of US$120,000 was credited to the account and subsequently debited by signatory to the account and others individuals to be identified including one Jongo Armah Chinoweth, a current staff of the CBL at the banking department who debited US$4,250 twice on 12 October 2019 from the said account using checks. After all, the defendants were released unto their lawyers after they filed a bail bond from the Sky Insurance Company.
By T.Q. Lula Jaurey
