Ombudsman Orders 3 Dismissed NPA Employees Reinstated
Writing: By Godgift Harris
The Office of the Ombudsman has ordered the immediate reinstatement of three senior employees of the National Port Authority (NPA).
Then office ruled that the dismissals of the trio were “illegal and in breach of the country’s Code of Conduct, and constitutional due process provisions.”
In a detailed 14-page report released on July 25, 2025, the Ombudsman found that Sema G. Tulay, Georgina Dixon and Annett S. Nebo were “unlawfully terminated” by NPA management in violation of the institution’s internal policies, and the 2014 Code of Conduct for Public Officials.
At the Ministry of Information regular press briefing on Thursday, July 31, 2025, Ombudsman Head, Counselor Finley Garnger, condemned the NPA’s actions, describing them as “blatant violations” of Article 20(a) of the 1986 Constitution, which guarantees every citizen’s right to due process.
“The dismissals were executed without adherence to established disciplinary procedures, and without affording the affected employees the right to a fair hearing,” Cllr. Garnger said.
The Ombudsman’s decision mandates that Tulay, Dixon, and Nebo be reinstated to their respective positions and receive full retroactive salaries and benefits for the period under review.
The Ombudsman further ordered NPA Managing Director Sekou Dukuly, and the institution’s legal counsel to undergo mandatory administrative governance training at the Liberia Institute of Public Administration (LIPA) within seven days, at their personal expense.
Non-compliance, the report warns, will prompt formal recommendations for their suspension.
During the investigation, the NPA’s legal team, headed by Counselor Pei Edwin Gausi, argued that the dismissals were purely “labor-related and thus fell outside Ombudsman’s jurisdiction.”
The legal team also contended that the affected employees were not public officials.
However, the Ombudsman rejected these assertions, clarifying that as a state-owned enterprise established by the Legislature, the NPA is an integral component of the Executive Branch and is therefore subject to ethical oversight.
“The NPA falls directly under the purview of the Executive Branch of government and, by law, is subject to the supervisory authority of the Office of the Ombudsman,” the report stated.
The Ombudsman has formally communicated its ruling to the Ministry of Labor and the NPA Board of Directors for enforcement.
It also signaled that the office will closely monitor compliance and will escalate the matter to relevant government institutions if necessary.
This decision is viewed as a significant test case for the powers of the Ombudsman’s office and is likely to set a legal precedent for how public institutions manage internal disciplinary actions, respect employee rights and uphold ethical governance standards.