The United States government has once more cautioned people and financial institutions against doing business with former and present members of the Government of Liberia (GOL) who have been designated as sanctioned by its Treasury Department in advance of the general and presidential elections in Liberia in 2023. This warning comes from Michael McCarthy, the ambassador of the United States based close to Monrovia.

Nathaniel McGill, a former minister of state for presidential affairs, Cyrennius Cephus, the solicitor general, and Bill Tweahway, the head of the National Port Authority (NPA), have all been charged with corruption. The Global Magnitsky Human Rights Accountability Act governs the sanctions.

Senators Varney Sherman and Prince Johnson, representing the counties of Grand Cape Mount and Nimba, respectively, are among the others sanctioned.

While Senators Sherman and Johnson are running for re-election in Liberia, Mr. McGill has been teaming up with former and current government officials to promote his bid for a seat in the Senate despite the sanctions imposed on him.

However, Ambassador McCarthy noted that financial institutions and other parties would be subject to sanctions as well if they continued to conduct business with these sanctioned ex- and current government officials while speaking at a news conference at the US Embassy in Monrovia on Monday, November 14.

He claims that the US government will also take enforcement measures against any connected institutions or people.

"I also want to point out that it has been almost exactly three months since I told you in this room about the Global Magnisky sanctions the Treasury Department has placed on Syrenius Cephus, Bill Tweahway, and Nathaniel McGill. It's critical that we focus on the Treasury Department's announcement once more, in particular its warning that people who conduct specified transactions with these sanctioned people "may themselves be exposed to penalties or subject to an enforcement action."

Unless an exception exists, any foreign financial institution that knowingly supports a large transaction for any of the people or companies might be subject to US penalties.

He emphasized that the US Treasury Department has also sanctioned Senators Varney Sherman and Prince Y. Johnson under the Magnisky Act, thus they are also subject to the government's warning.

Although the sanctions placed on the five individuals are not specifically directed at the Liberian government, Ambassador McCarthy noted that anyone who supports these former and current government officials "may be opened to sanctions themselves."

Evidences

He claimed that although there are no criminal charges pending against the five persons, the US believes it has the "right and obligation" to prevent corruption and abuse of democracy.

He pointed out that the US government had solid proof that the sanctioned officials engaged in the actions they were accused of, but that the Liberian government and people must follow the appropriate legal procedures to bring them to justice.

"We won't let them spend stolen money in America, and if it is, we'll freeze it. However, the focus is less on prosecution than it is on Liberian legal procedures.

The National Elections Commission (NEC) has come under increasing pressure from members of civil society to reject the nomination of sanctioned current and former government officials from Liberia who intend to run in the upcoming 2023 elections.

The public wants these people to concentrate on distancing themselves from their involvement in corrupt activities rather than canvassing and influencing voters using money obtained illegally.

If the NEC accepts the candidacy of any of the sanctioned past and present government officials, Ambassador McCarthy responded: "We do support the NEC until they give us cause not to support them."

He claims that the commission will continue to get support from the US government while it conducts free, fair, transparent, and peaceful elections as a functioning, independent body.

"It's vital for Liberians to hold sanctioned officials accountable; but, take a look at what the Treasury Department said about them. It's true that they (sanctioned officials) never had their day in court. Some of the allegations contained specifics.

Even while voters have the freedom to choose their leaders, Ambassador McCarthy underlined that the US government feels that these former and present sanctioned officials have reached a degree of corruption and disruption of the democratic process.

We are absolutely convinced that the evidence would be discovered if a real inquiry were conducted. The press covered every claim.

These accusations

According to the US Treasury Department, McGill accepted payments for directing contracts to businesses in which he has an interest as well as paid bribes to business owners and potential investors. McGill has abused emergency procurement procedures to rig contract bids and other public procurement procedures to award multi-million dollar contracts to businesses in which he owns stock. McGill is legitimately accused of taking part in a wide range of other corrupt activities, such as asking for bribes from people vying for government positions and misusing public resources for his own advantage.

He has misappropriated public monies intended for other Liberian government agencies to support his personal initiatives, paid senior government officials in cash off-the-books, and assembled warlords to intimidate opponents. McGill utilized his position to keep his illegal stipend from being uncovered while receiving money from numerous Liberian government entities. McGill frequently gives other government representatives thousands of dollars in illegal cash for both official and unofficial purposes.

McGill was designated because she is a foreign national and a former government official who is accountable for, complicit in, or has engaged in corruption, including the theft of public funds, the taking of private property for private gain, the bribery of public officials, and the illegal exploitation of natural resources.

According to reports, Cephus formed strong bonds with criminal defendants and accepted bribes from people in exchange for dropping their cases. In order to gain financial gain for himself, Cephus has worked behind the scenes to come to agreements with the targets of money laundering investigations to end those investigations. He protected criminals involved in money laundering, assisted them in navigating the legal system, and intimidated other prosecutors in an effort to stop investigations. Cephus also made use of his position to obstruct investigations into and prosecution of cases of government official corruption. In cases involving members of opposition political parties, Cephus has been accused of tampering with and willfully suppressing evidence in order to achieve conviction.

He was singled out because he was a foreign national and a former official in the government who was either directly or indirectly involved in corruption, such as the theft of public funds, the taking of private property for personal gain, corruption involving government contracts or the exploitation of natural resources, or bribery.

Twehway planned the NPA's $1.5 million in vessel storage fees being diverted into a personal account. Through his position at the NPA, Twehway later unilaterally awarded a contract for loading and unloading goods at the Port of Buchanan to a private company that he had covertly established. Less than a month after the business's launch, it was given the contract. Twehway and others concealed their actual involvement in the company while still making money from it by using family members.

Twehway was blacklisted due to the fact that he is a foreign national currently serving in government who is accountable for, complicit in, or has engaged in corruption, including the theft of public funds, the taking of private property for personal gain, corruption involving government contracts or the exploitation of natural resources, or bribery.

According to the U.S. Government, in December 2021, Senator Sherman allegedly offered bribes in exchange for his release from a bribery case that he and some other prominent government figures in Liberia, including the former Speaker of the House of Representatives, Alex J. Tyler, were associated with.

British anti-corruption organization Global Witness claimed in 2015 that Sable Mining Company, through Cllr. Varney Sherman, the company's legal representative, and his associates, had worked together to break the law in order to obtain a concession to mine the Wologisi Mountain in Lofa without engaging in a competitive bidding process.

The release stated that Varney Sherman, who is now a well-known attorney, senator from Liberia, and the head of the Senate Judiciary Committee, "offered bribes to multiple judges associated with his trial for bribery scheme in 2010, and he had an undisclosed conflict of interest with judge who ultimately returned a not guilty verdict in July 2019."

"In the 2010 plan that resulted in his prosecution, Sherman was employed by a British mining company in an endeavor to acquire the Wologisi iron ore concession, one of Liberia's few remaining mining properties. The U.S. Government additionally noted that Sherman told the corporation that in order to win the deal, they would first need to bribe top officials to amend Liberia's procurement and concession law.

"Sherman was indicted by the Liberian government in 2016, along with several other government officials, for their participation in the US$950,000 bribery conspiracy," it continued.

For engaging in "pay-for-play funding with government ministries and groups for personal benefit," Senator Johnson received a punishment.