Information Minister Jerolinmek M. Piah has disclosed that the Government of Liberia has been informed about a complaint filed by former Minister of State Nathaniel F. McGill to prevent, restrain, and stop the ongoing investigation by the Liberia Anti-Corruption Commission against him. Minister Piah explained as he addressed the Ministry of Information regular press briefing on Tuesday, August 27, 2024 that “His principal argument is that he acted under the instruction of the former president. According to him, since the former president is immune from prosecution, he, as a principal assistant to the then president, should also be protected from any kind of investigation”, Piah stated that the government believes he doesn’t have that entitlement of immunity of investigation as he is claiming because he acted under the mandate of his boss, indicating that “His reasoning doesn’t look okay to us, so we believe that he doesn’t have that entitlement that he is claiming onto himself”. According to him, if you are an official or agent of the state, there is an obligation to that position and that you are to act lawfully and not unlawfully because if you do, there is a penalty or consequence that will be lavished on you. Minister Piah said “Assuming that Pres. Boakai entered and said I should shoot the Deputy Police Commander, and I go and shoot, that is an unlawful act. So, it is not because the president instructed me to kill means I am immune from any consequences that come after.” However, the Information Minister said though the government doesn’t subscribe to the former Minister’s argument, it welcomes his proceeding by using the legal process, saying that if this mean is constantly used by citizens, it will mitigate chaos and lawlessness that people have chosen to instigate violence. He further stated that the government’s legal team is in full readiness to take on the case at the Supreme Court and in the end, somebody will be held accountable”. “We believe, as a government, that there is an admission of guilt. In other words, I did this thing, but I did it under the instruction of somebody,” The spokesman of the Liberian government illustrated that in the past, the CDC government indicted and prosecuted former Defense Minister Brownie Samukai for acts of corruption. On August 26, 2024, the public was informed that the former Minister of State for Presidential Affair and now Senator of Margibi County Hon. Nathaniel F. McGill, through his legal team, filed a petition for a Writ of Prohibition with the Supreme Court of Liberia to restraint and prevent the ongoing investigation to the alleged supplementary payroll padding. Mr. McGill was invited by the Liberia Anti-Corruption Commission (LACC) to appear before its investigative panel on August 21, 2024 for an initiated investigation into allegations of payroll padding and acts of corruption resulting from salary payments affecting a supplementary payroll containing 728 names at the Ministry of State for Presidential Affairs, which was allegedly created outside of the framework of the Civil Service Agency.
Source: LINA
