Several contracting firms hired by the Liberia Agency for Community Empowerment (LACE), to implement the “Special Presidential County Tour Project have begun the process of filing an exhaustive and comprehensive lawsuit against LACE over its alleged failure over nonpayment for contracts already being executed.
Mr. Lamin Kamara, addressing journalists on Friday, August 12, 2023, on behalf of his colleagues, said they were compelled on what he called deliberate failure of the government to make payments for contracts already being completed by contracted firms.
Kamara, who is Executive Director of Unique Development Enterprises Inc said his company was contracted to construct a market building in Bowein Town, Dowein District, Bomi County, for the amount of US$80,000.
According to him, prior to their planned lawsuit, the LACE made fifty percent payment of the US$80,000, in 2022 when the contract agreement was signed, but claimed that since then, LACE has refused to pay the balance fifty percent.
Besides, Kamara noted that several other companies claimed to have received only thirty percent of the agreed contract fees, and they have already concluded with their projects, in the fifteen counties. The projects include- clinic, market buildings, and sports’ facilities, among other.
The contract agreement with the 27contractors was reportedly signed between 2021 and 2022.
Kamara further alleged that foreign contracts and expatriate firms were being accorded preferential treatment by the same LACE to the disaffection of their local counterparts who are Liberians.
“I have been going to LACE’s office on numerous occasions to meet the Executive Director Pepci Quiwu Yeke and Madam Monica DeWalt, finance director, but whenever I go the staffer would say they are not around. And nobody else there to tell you about their whereabouts, ” Kamara alleged.
According to him, he took loan from several banking institutions just to find the project as they have agreed; adding,
“I am unable to pay the loan, because I was assured that the government was going to make thirty percent payment at each stage of the project. “.
” The only thing to do is to take the matter to court maybe the government will listen to pay our money, “Kamara noted.
The writer of this article said she texted numbers provided by the LACE, purportedly to send both Yeke and DeWalt SMS messages, and asked “Kamara tell me that the government was owing his company for the market building constructed in Bowein Town, Dowein District, Bomi County. Is this true, and if so, can you please confirm? “
The message from the reporters was not responded to by any of the two senior officers of LACE.
The reporter also placed a call to Yeke and DeWalt but no response was available.
Caption: Pepci Quiwu Yeke
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