Troubling questions have emerged in Grand Kru County over the management of more than US$537,000 in County Development Funds.
The situation is brewing a fresh storm in the county as to the handling of the money.
As a result, political actors have traded accusations while the locals have demanded answers concerning the application of money intertwine with developments.
At the center of the controversy is a fierce exchange between the governing Unity Party (UP) County Chairman Nelson Tecgeoh Torbor, and the opposition Coalition for Democratic Change (CDC) supporter Darius Doe.
Mr. Doe defense of the erstwhile administration of George Weah, has now shifted the debate toward financial accountability and stalled development.
Doe maintains that despite “irregular CDF disbursements during CDC’s six-year administration, former Superintendent Doris Ylatun left behind a visible development record.”
“Even with limited funds, projects were started and money was left in the county’s account,” a source aligned with Doe’s position stated.
Among the projects cited, include the Grand Kru Youth Center, the Nokia Clinic, and renovations of the Barclayville City Hall as well as the Presidential Palace in Barclayville.
Moreover, Doe alleges that Ylatun turned over approximately US$165,000 in combined Liberian Dollar and United States Dollar balances before he left office.
The Money Trail
According to figures now being circulated in the public debate, the reported handover was
L$29M (estimated at US$115,000); US$40,500, US$10,000 in an Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) escrow account.
This brings the inherited balance to roughly US$165,000.
In addition, critics claim that the current administration under Superintendent Antoinette Worwelee Nimely, has since received over US$372,000 as the county’s 2024 and 2025 CDF allotments.
If accurate, that places the total amount under question at more than US$537,000.
Where are the Projects?
The chief question now being raised by residents and political observers has to with: What the money produced?
Residents have pointed at the “incomplete legacy projects, and an absence of clearly visible new development initiatives across the county.”
“If this amount of money has been received, the people should be able to point to schools, clinics, roads, youth facilities, or major community-based projects,” a concerned stakeholder noted.
The issue has intensified calls for an official financial breakdown from the Superintendent’s office, including project names, contract values, payment records and completion status.
Demand for Accountability
As the blame game between political camps deepens, the matter is increasingly being viewed not as partisan rhetoric, but as a test of public accountability.
Citizens are now demanding transparency over: inherited balances, 2024 and 2025 CDF receipts, expenditures made, projects awarded, and status of unfinished works.
Until a formal response is issued, the controversy is likely to remain at the center of Grand Kru’s political discourse.
For many residents, the issue is no longer about who is defending which party. Residents says, it is about one pressing question that has to do with where did the money go, and what has it built in the county?