Steward Pulls Konneh’s Corruption String

Steward Pulls Konneh’s Corruption String

During Madam Ellen Johnson Sirleaf’s twelve years national leadership in Liberia, many young Liberians became famous as they occupied lucrative positions in government, but in the midst of public outcries against corruption, their hands did not escape the cookie jar.

Amongst the many young brains in government at the time, current Gbarpolu County Senator Amara Konneh first served as minister of the then Ministry of Planning and Economic Affairs, and later minister of Finance and Development Planning.

Under Konneh’s watch at the Finance and Development Planning, the government experienced budget shortfalls as budget hearings at Capitol Building used to be marred by ‘cut and paste’  financial narratives thereby exposing weak and disjointed budget preparations.

Mr. Konneh later left the portfolio and got another lucrative job with the African Development Bank when he took assignment in Nairobi, Kenya in East Africa. Finance and Development Planning Ministry was then taken over by Boima Kamara before Madam Sirleaf’s regime ended in 20 in January 2018.

Mr. Konneh came back to Liberia, sometimes checkmating the Coalition for Democratic Change government of former football icon George Manneh Weah, and at the same time preparing for elected position at the National Legislature.

During the 2017 electioneering period, he was believed to be one of the IT gurus who set the pace for Unity Party’s ‘War Room’ for the elections, and that the success story of the UP victory should include his role played.

However, when he won the senatorial seat for Gbarpolu County, Mr. Konneh has been seen as a critic of the regime, who flags and pinpoints at critical national issues he sees as challenges the Boakia-led Administration needs to handle in fulfillment of promises made to Liberians during the elections.    

Konneh’s criticisms against the regime appear to have irritated a radical politician pulling the former Finance and development Planning Minister’s corruption string as indicated in a facebook post captured by a Liberian online media-Smartnewsliberia.      

According to the online media outlet, Senator Amara Konneh’s recent criticism of the Unity Party government under President Joseph Nyuma Boakai has reignited controversy surrounding his own troubled tenure as Liberia’s Finance Minister. Former Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC) Commissioner John H.T. Stewart has come forward with detailed allegations of fiscal mismanagement, corruption, and abuse of public trust that occurred under Konneh’s watch.

In a commentary dated July 22, 2025, Stewart accused Konneh of engaging in selective amnesia and double standards by publicly posturing as a crusader for economic reform while refusing to account for what Stewart described as blatant violations of Liberia’s financial laws during his time in office.

“Amara Konneh has been making headlines recently, posing as a champion of integrity,” Stewart wrote. “But his own record tells a damning story. The public deserves to remember the truth.”

Stewart reintroduced a 2013 article originally published by FrontPage Africa and The Perspective, a U.S.-based Liberian news outlet, in which he meticulously outlined a series of financial missteps and irregular transactions involving Konneh’s Ministry of Finance.

At the core of the allegations was a US$2.1 million payment made in March 2013 to a virtually unknown contractor, Solid Rock Investment Inc. The payment, Stewart noted, was based on an unsigned letter allegedly originating from the Ministry of Public Works—lacking required documentation such as Bills of Quantities and Public Procurement and Concessions Commission (PPCC) approval.

Despite these irregularities, the Ministry of Finance proceeded with the payment using funds from the Budget on National Claims, a discretionary account directly under the Minister’s control. Stewart highlighted that the voucher authorizing the payment was not verified as “within appropriation,” and normal channels involving the Comptroller-General were bypassed.

He further exposed a suspicious maneuver whereby Siafa Chowoe, a deputy official at the Ministry of Finance, was assigned as an authorized signatory to the government’s consolidated account for a two-day window, exactly when the check was signed and encashed at the Central Bank of Liberia (CBL). The transaction violated existing financial rules that prohibited over-the-counter cash withdrawals of large sums from government accounts.

“Why was such a large amount encased over the counter instead of being deposited into a company account? What was the urgency behind temporarily shifting signature authority for only two working days?” Stewart asked.

He cited the 2009 Public Financial Management (PFM) Law, which mandates transparency, proper documentation, and legislative oversight of public funds. According to Stewart, Konneh and his deputies repeatedly flouted these rules.

Stewart also revisited broader financial discrepancies during Konneh’s tenure. He referenced the unexplained jump in the National Oil Company of Liberia (NOCAL)’s budget from US$2 million to US$148 million between 2009 and 2012. He also noted the exclusion of a US$15 million European Union grant from the 2012–2013 budget, an omission that the Finance Ministry only addressed after mounting media pressure.

“The Ministry of Finance under Amara Konneh operated as a shadowy and unaccountable institution,” Stewart said. “It concealed critical information from the public, evaded legislative scrutiny, and undermined national financial laws.”

He recalled how several government officials, including Defense Minister Brownie Samukai and Civil Service Deputy Director Dr. Leona Puchu Bernard, complained about not knowing the actual contents of their ministry budgets. Stewart argued this demonstrated a calculated lack of transparency designed to obscure fiscal mismanagement.

To reinforce his argument, Stewart referenced prominent Liberian economist Dr. Togba-Nah Tipoteh, who once warned that recurring budget shortfalls were driven by corruption and unregulated spending. Tipoteh had urged reforms to strengthen fiscal discipline and promote local businesses, reforms that Stewart said were ignored by Konneh and the Sirleaf administration.

Stewart’s critique extended to Konneh’s hostile engagements with lawmakers who questioned his stewardship. He condemned Konneh’s pattern of lashing out at legislators and journalists who demanded transparency, calling it a tactic to silence accountability.

“He [Konneh] has insulted our lawmakers, and in doing so, he has insulted the Liberian people. We must not let him rewrite history,” Stewart declared.

According to Stewart, the effects of such mismanagement are still felt today. He said international donors have grown increasingly reluctant to support infrastructure projects due to a lack of confidence in the government’s financial oversight. He claimed that over US$100 million in unaccounted funds continues to haunt Liberia’s development efforts.

Stewart warned that legitimate public obligations, including those owed to local media outlets, were being neglected to facilitate dubious payouts such as the one to Solid Rock Investment. “While newspapers were going unpaid, Konneh was busy signing off on fraudulent checks,” he said.

He also questioned why no official at the Central Bank raised alarm over the procedural violations. “Not one senior executive spoke out about the irregularity of this transaction,” Stewart said. “This signals collusion or a deep-rooted culture of fear and silence within our institutions.”

Stewart concluded with a call to action for the Liberian Legislature, urging lawmakers to demand full accountability from Senator Konneh, especially now that he is using his platform to criticize President Boakai’s administration.

“To Representatives like Isaac Roland and others, do not let this man rest. He owes us answers,” Stewart emphasized. “If we are to build a new Liberia, we cannot ignore the sins of the past.”

In a final jab, Stewart wrote: “So my last word to Senator Amara Konneh, put up or shut up.”

The article has since stirred debate across political and civil society circles, with some viewing Stewart’s commentary as a long-overdue reckoning with Liberia’s recent economic history. Others argue it is part of a broader political battle between the past and present administrations.

 Stewart’s claims backed by dates, names, voucher references, and bank memos seem to suggest serious attention, as Konneh continues to position himself as a watchdog of the Boakai government, while his own legacy as Finance Minister in the past may become difficult to ignore.

 Courtesy: smartnewsliberia.com

Konneh, Stewart