02/10/2023
Margibi County Risks Electing U.S.-sanctioned Official.
By Patrick N. Wesseh
Contact: 0770454316
Email: [email protected]
Surveys have shown that Liberia's former Prime Minister Nathaniel Farlo McGill is set to lose his only dependable job in order to have a face in government. It can be recalled that three senior officials of the Weah-led administration were sanctioned on August 15, 2022, according to the US Treasury Department three government officials were sanctioned for Corruption.
However, the Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) designated Liberian government officials Nathaniel McGill, Sayma Syrenius Cephus, and Bill Twehway for their involvement in ongoing public corruption in Liberia. These officials are designated under Executive Order (E.O.) 13818, which builds upon and implements the Global Magnitsky Human Rights Accountability Act and targets perpetrators of serious human rights abuse and corruption around the world.
“Through their corruption, these officials have undermined democracy in Liberia for their benefit,” said Under Secretary of the Treasury for Terrorism and Financial Intelligence Brian E. Nelson. “Treasury’s designations demonstrated that the United States remains committed to holding corrupt actors accountable and the continued support of the Liberian people.”
Corruption has long undermined Liberia’s democracy and its economy, robbing the Liberian people of funds for public services, empowering illicit actors, degrading the business environment, and damaging the rule of law and effective governance in the country. Corruption also contributes to diminished confidence in government and public perception of impunity for those with power. These designations reaffirm the commitment of the United States to hold corrupt actors accountable.
The United States is a proud and dedicated partner and friend of Liberia stands with the people of Liberia in support of democracy and the rule of law and will continue to promote accountability for corrupt actors, regardless of their position or political affiliation. The United States is also committed to working with the people and Government of Liberia to elevate countering corruption as a priority, including bolstering public sector anti-corruption capacity and reviewing and re-evaluating criteria for bilateral and multilateral assistance, including transparency and accountability.
Holding corrupt actors accountable and bolstering anti-corruption efforts are both consistent with and reflect our commitment to implementing, the United States Strategy on Countering Corruption.
According to the Treasury Department Press release, corrupt Nathaniel McGill was Minister of State for Presidential Affairs and Chief of Staff to President George Weah.
During his tenure in government, McGill has bribed business owners, received bribes from potential investors, and accepted kickbacks for steering contracts to companies in which he has an interest. McGill has manipulated public procurement processes to award multi-million dollar contracts to companies in which he has ownership, including by abusing emergency procurement processes to rig contract bids. McGill is credibly accused of involvement in a wide range of other corrupt schemes including soliciting bribes from government office seekers and misappropriating government assets for his gain.
He has used government funds allocated to other Liberian government institutions to run his projects, made off-the-books payments in cash to senior government leaders, and organized warlords to threaten political rivals. McGill has received an unjustified stipend from various Liberian government institutions and used his position to prevent his
misappropriation from being discovered. McGill regularly distributes thousands of dollars in undocumented cash to other government officials for government and non-government activities.
McGill is being designated for being a foreign person who is a current government official who is responsible for or complicit in, or who has directly or indirectly engaged in, corruption, including the misappropriation of state assets, the expropriation of private assets for personal gain, corruption related to government contracts or the extraction of natural resources, or bribery.
Meanwhile, Citizens of Margibi County are resisting that Former Minister of States for Presidential Affairs Nathaniel Farlo McGill be rejected at the ballot box comes October 10, 2023, according to inhabitants of Margibi County if McGill is elected Margibi will lose her prestige to the international communities.
" Since America Sanctioned McGill he has never gone to court to make his side clear, but he want to come back in government. We will not give him our County because he is very corrupt" they said.
At the same time some citizens are saying that Former Minister McGill is planning to sell the Gibi Mount
