Monrovia – Supporters and shut allies of former Chief of Protocol, Madam Nora Finda Bundoo, have mounted a vigorous protection in opposition to what they describe as politically motivated corruption and cash laundering prices introduced in opposition to her and others by the Property Restoration Taskforce.
By Selma Lomax, [email protected]
The group insists that the fees are a deliberate try by the Unity Occasion-led administration of President Joseph Boakai to silence key opposition voices, undermine the political power of the Coalition for Democratic Change (CDC), and discredit Bundoo’s long-standing fame as a law-abiding businesswoman and public servant.
The indictment, which additionally names businessman John S. Youboty of MDMC Firm and Madam Thelma Duncan Sawyer, widow of former Interim President Dr. Amos Claudius Sawyer, has drawn widespread condemnation from opposition politicians, civil society organizations, and members of the enterprise group.
Many are calling the case a basic instance of selective justice and political retaliation disguised as an anti-corruption marketing campaign.
In a passionate assertion in Monrovia, former Presidential Aide Sekou Kalasco Damaro described the indictment as a calculated act of political persecution. He accused the Boakai administration of hypocrisy, noting that the identical authorities branding the Anita Group of Firm as “unlawful” continues to challenge it legitimate licenses and tax clearances.
“The Property Restoration known as the authorized settlement unlawful, so if this was an unlawful deal between Anita Group of Firm and the Ministry of Protection, why is it that the Minister who signed the deal on behalf of Protection isn’t a part of the indictment? Is it as a result of he serves as Particular Army Advisor to Mr. Boakai? Pure witch-hunt and selective justice,” Kalasco said.
He continued, “This authorities, by way of the Enterprise Registry Workplace, supplied Anita Group of Firm its 2024/2025 Certificates of Enterprise Registration. If this entity is illegitimate, why preserve them registered below your administration?”
Paperwork within the possession of FrontPageAfrica verify that the Anita Group of Firm, a enterprise entity linked to Madam Bundoo, is legally registered below Liberian regulation. The corporate holds a sound enterprise certificates issued by the Liberian Enterprise Registry and has been totally compliant with its tax obligations, securing a 2024/2025 tax clearance from the Liberia Income Authority.
The corporate additionally signed a legally binding Rice Provide Framework Settlement with the Ministry of Nationwide Protection on Could 27, 2022, duly notarized by the Workplace of the Notary Public of Montserrado County. The settlement, signed by then Minister of Protection, Hon. Daniel D. Ziankahn Jr., approved Anita Group of Firm to provide over 64,000 luggage of lengthy grain milled rice in 25-kilogram packages in the course of the fiscal yr 2022.
The authorized documentation, additionally endorsed by the Ministries of Finance and Justice, confirms that the transaction was formally sanctioned by the Authorities of Liberia, making it tough for critics to reconcile the federal government’s present place that the deal was “unlawful.”
In response to Kalasco, this contradiction demonstrates the politically pushed nature of the case. “Below this similar Boakai administration, Anita Group stays tax compliant and continues to obtain government-recognized licenses. You can not name an organization unlawful whereas nonetheless accumulating taxes and issuing certifications to it. This isn’t justice; that is vengeance,” Kalasco asserted.
The opposition Congress for Democratic Change (CDC) has additionally weighed in closely on the problem, describing the fees in opposition to Bundoo and her alleged associates as “bogus, deceitful, and politically motivated.” In a prolonged press assertion issued in Monrovia, the occasion accused the Unity Occasion authorities of weaponizing state establishments in opposition to its political rivals to distract public consideration from its personal governance failures.
“Within the face of gaping violations of the rule of regulation, large ongoing corruption, rising costs of products and companies, and the shameful decline in financial progress from 4.7 p.c in 2023 to 4 p.c in 2024, the UP has resorted to intensifying its witch-hunts in opposition to former officers of the CDC,” the assertion stated.
“Our nation is witnessing a calculated political witch-hunt headlined by bogus prices in opposition to Nora Finda Bundoo, John S. Youboty, and H.E. Madam Thelma Duncan Sawyer. These prices are laughable at greatest and can be fiercely resisted each legally and politically.”
The CDC additional accused President Boakai’s administration of betraying its personal marketing campaign guarantees of integrity and transparency, claiming that the federal government’s anti-corruption campaign has as a substitute become a selective purge of opposition figures.
The assertion emphasised that “this authorities has turned the struggle in opposition to corruption right into a weapon of political repression,” including that “whereas the Unity Occasion pretends to be combating corruption, it ignores ongoing acts of graft inside its personal administration and continues to waste public funds on extravagant travels and pointless expenditures.”
A number of political and social commentators have echoed related sentiments, arguing that the indictment isn’t rooted in regulation however in politics. One impartial analyst famous that “the fees in opposition to Finda Bundoo have little to do with corruption and all the things to do with political worry. Bundoo is a strong girl with affect, networks, and sources that the ruling occasion views as a menace.”
One other civil society advocate argued that “the Property Restoration Taskforce is shedding credibility due to its bias. Actual anti-corruption work requires impartiality. When the federal government begins to focus on opposition figures whereas ignoring corruption amongst its personal ranks, it destroys public confidence and undermines the rule of regulation.”
A member of the Liberian enterprise group described the indictment as each inconsistent and alarming. “If the Anita Group of Firm has a sound enterprise license, pays taxes, and operates below Liberian regulation, then accusing it of illegality with out revoking its registration or presenting clear proof is senseless,” he stated. “It sends the mistaken message to buyers and creates worry within the non-public sector.”
Inside the CDC, there may be rising unity and willpower to rally behind Bundoo and others focused by the Asset Restoration workforce. Senior occasion members are mobilizing authorized and political sources to struggle again in opposition to what they name “a sample of intimidation and harassment designed to destroy opposition voices.”
“The CDC is not going to permit the weaponization of our courts nor the political demolition of our establishments to go unchallenged,” the occasion said. “We name upon all Liberians to stay vigilant, united, and agency in opposition to these undemocratic techniques. Our wrestle is for justice, for reality, and for the safety of our nation’s democratic future.”
As public debate over the case intensifies, the indictment of Bundoo and others has turn out to be one of the controversial political developments of the Boakai administration. Whereas the federal government insists that it’s pursuing accountability and recovering stolen belongings, critics argue that the administration’s method displays selective justice and political revenge, quite than a real dedication to transparency.
