Asst. Labor Director Charged – Forwarded To Court For Human Trafficking By: Julius Konton

The Credibility, trust and reliance in the Ministry of Labor fight against human trafficking is said to be farfetched following an investigation by the police on its own Assistant Director for Operations of the Anti-trafficking in person task force, Henry McGill, who was also charged by the police and forwarded to court for the same crime he should be fighting to curtail. According to police report, McGill was among other things charged for the crime of trafficking in persons and theft of property in complete violation of section 15.51 of the Penal Law of Liberia.  It can be recalled that Director McGill while under investigation for alleged human trafficking case was recently appointed by Minister Cllr. Cooper Kruah as assistant director of the anti-trafficking in person task force of Liberia something critics condemned to the core. They wonder whether Minister Kruah’s appointed of Mr. McGill was well researched including coming from an informed background as a lawyer. At the same time, the move by the Minister they claimed was in an alleged attempt to protect and shield Director McGill from his crime but the Minister has since denied such allegation terming it as false and misleading. However, critics wonder why will the Ministry who should be in charge and in full control of human trafficking related issues not be in the know that Henry McGill was under investigation for human trafficking for about four years but instead appointed him to said position.  “Minister Kruah needs to do the needful, he needs to also answer questions relative to his unbinding decision in appointing Assistant Director McGill to occupy said key position even when senior management at the Ministry of Labor according to our investigation rejected his decision”. to do so,” they added. McGill who has been under investigation for about four years for his link to human trafficking before the police investigation report was also nominated by Minister Kruah to represent the Ministry of Labor at US Embassy accredited near Monrovia senior executive level seminar.  The seminar, according to report, is intended for Presidential appointees and top officials but Minister Kruah our investigation show appointed McGill who is not a Civil Servant, neither a presidential appointee and nor a senior official at the Ministry of Labor but an assistant director who is also linked to human trafficking to represent the Ministry at said key function.  Media investigation also uncovered that the US Embassy accredited near Monrovia rejected Mcgill’s nomination to represent the Ministry of Labor at the senior executive level seminar for his link to alleged human trafficking case and requested a new recommendation especially a presidential appointee including someone from the human trafficking department.  Reports also indicate that the Ministry of Justice nominated an Assistant Minister while the Judiciary also nominated a Circuit Court Judge to represent them at the senior executive level seminar, contrary to the Ministry of Labor’s nomination who was neither a civil servant, nor a presidential appointee but rather an alleged human trafficker. McGill, age thirty eight, according to police report, alleged involvement was the recruitment of three victims namely: Doris Siah Tamba, Alberta Lolo and Francis N. Johnson and one of them-  Doris Siah Tamba who through McGill’s involvement successfully made it to Oman but was allegedly subjected to slavery and human rights violations. Police report also said Mr. McGill also participated in the recruitment, transportation and transfer including receiving of persons by means of deception.  McGill who reportedly collected 700,00 USD for each victim, pocketed a total of 21, 000USD for what he described as processing fees. While undergoing investigation and in attempt to escape the country, media investigation uncovered that McGill acquired a new passport with number – PP02 15709 which was issued on September 22, 2022 with the expiration date of September 22, 2027.  However, his previous passport which was seized to prevent him from traveling while the investigation was still ongoing, has the information as: PP-0026093 which was issued on April 19, 2018 and expired on April 17, 2023 respectively.  As investigation continues, the battle on the fight against human trafficking has now taken another questionable direction in eyes of the public especially with the involvement of a key official at the Ministry linked to the same crime he should be preventing mainly under the nose of a renowned lawyer.