The Civil Society Network of Liberia (CSNL) has described as baseless and unfounded, reports of corruption in the public, suggesting that the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the National Oil Company of Liberia (NOCAL), Madam Rustonlyn Suacoco Dennis, withdrew US$75,000.00 from NOCAL’s SIB Account for the purchase of a single car with a kickback of US$30,000.00, something that led probably led to the suspension of CEO by President Joseph Nyuma Boakai.
These publications, made through social media platforms and some local dailies, also said that the NOCAL CEO awarded a consultancy contract of US$585k allegedly against the Public Procurement Concessions Commission (PPCC). But the Civil Society Network says it sees these reports as a manufactured corruption story intended to undermine Madam Dennis as President and CEO of NOCAL.
“Having investigated and analyzed the different transactions mentioned in the corruption allegations against Madam Rustonlyn Suacoco Dennis at NOCAL, the Civil Society Network of Liberia views the wave of allegations against her as not only unsubstantiated, but a fabricated blackmail information with the sole intent of seeking her removal as CEO of the oil company. It is disappointing that those making the claim that Madam Suacoco Dennis used US$75,000.00 for a single car lack independent verification,” a release issued by the civil society group said.
The group said it has documents in its possession showing that the purchase of the vehicles was approved by the Board of NOCAL, and that US$45,000.00 was used to purchase an official vehicle for the CEO and US$30,000.00 was used to purchase a utility vehicle, though it did not release copies of these ‘sensitive’ documents to this paper.
“Claim that the US$30,000.00 was registered in the name of her private company is farfetched and lacks evidence to prove. The Civil Society Network of Liberia sees nothing fundamentally wrong with the use of US$75,000.00 to purchase US$45,000.00 vehicle for the CEO of the country’s oil company, and US$30,000.00 for the purchase of a utility vehicle for the security and other supportive staff of the entity for security protocols and operational efficiency. There is no trace of a kickback in this transaction,” the release said.
The CSNL release said the allegation that Madam Dennis signed a consultancy contract worth US$585,000.00 with West Africa Geo-Services (WAGS) without approval from the Ministry of Justice and the Ministry of Finance lacks supporting documentation and evidential proof, as government procurement processes involve multiple stages of approval, including internal audits and legal vetting.
The release said if the contract was illegal, proper and thorough investigative channels should be pursued to verify these claims instead of making warranted accusations, adding that its investigation established that the request for single sourcing from NOCAL for the consultancy contract was approved by the PPCC. In fact, West Africa Geo-Services is a legally registered geo-services consulting firm to which Madam Suacoco Dennis has no link, as being alleged by the media reports.
“It is even laughable for those making the allegations to see disbursements of US$300,000.00 as corruption, when contract payments are made based on deliverables. It would have been objective were the supposed blackmailers and purported activists had sought for information regarding the scope, nature, objectives and expected deliverables of the contract, as well as the current actual deliverables from the contracting firm that warranted the initial payment,” CSNL said.
Meanwhile, the CSNL release said that the wave of allegations against Madam Dennis is an undermining effort by internal actors at NOCAL, but did not say exactly who these internal actors are. It said the nature of the claims of corruption being made against the CEO, when all documentations show that all of the transactions were approved by the Company’s Board and implemented by the entity’s Management Team, speaks volumes of a concocted ploy to besmear her character.
“Madam Suacoco Dennis does not sign checks alone. Every financial transaction at NOCAL is subjected to a rigorous financial regulation that calls for Board approval and co-signatory of the Vice President for Finance. It is important for all to understand that individual ambition at entities like NOCAL can lead to an undermining spirit from lieutenants who feel entitled to certain positions. The CSNL sees Madam Suacoco Dennis being a victim of these unbridled desires,” the release said.
Furthermore, the CSNL said while it frowns against, and detests corruption to the core, it will not support those who are bent on making unfounded claims against the characters of officials of government.
The civil society group said, “The act of making unwarranted allegations against people’s character just because they serve in the public sector is ridiculous and despicable. In as much as we do not support corruption and mismanagement of public funds, we believe that the corruption allegations against Madam Rustonlyn Suacoco Dennis is a make-believe story with no supporting evidence to substantiate the claims.”
CSNL has called on those parading with what it says are unproven corruption allegations against Madam Dennis to desist.
The Civil Society Network of Liberia says it strongly believes that President Boakai’s suspension of Madam Suacoco Dennis is ill-advised, and it is an artificial and showy display in the fight against corruption.
The release: “We are also of the belief that the President’s suspension action is due to the parading manufactured corruption information being used by propagandists who are bent on ensuring that Madam Dennis is removed as CEO of NOCAL. With the level of unsubstantiated evidence surrounding the corruption allegations against Madam Suacoco Dennis, we think President Boakai was misled to have taken such action.”
However, the group has called on Madam Dennis to embrace the investigation by the Liberia Anti-Corruption Commission (LACC), which is an opportunity for her to prove her innocence.
