THE BUREAU OF PUBLIC AFFAIRS

Ministry of Foreign Affairs

Monrovia, Liberia

DAILY NEWS SUMMARY WEDNESDAY, MAY 25, 2016

News concerning the Education Ministry’s request for US$300,000 to reprint the West African Examination Council (WAEC) exams and the call by the Legislature for President Johnson-Sirleaf to instruct the Special Presidential taskforce to cease the search warrant on former and current members of the Legislature are stories dominating today’s edition of the local dailies

DOMINANT STORIES

US$300,000 For National Exam Re-Print

Deputy Education Minister for Instruction, Dr. Romelle Horton has disclosed that it would cost the government US$300,000 to reprint the West African Examination Council (WAEC) exams. The exams were cancelled hours to the administering of the test on Monday.  Deputy Minister Herton said the test, which will be reprinted in Accra, Ghana would be administered on June 27, 2016. It would end on July 1, 2017, writes the NEWS newspaper.

Related Captions: US$300,000 Needed To Reprint WAEC Exams (New Democrat), Several Questioned For Exam Leakage…US$300,000 Needed For New WAEC Test (The INQUIRER), US$300,000 Needed For Rescheduled WAEC Exams-MoE (FOCUS)

Legislature Calls For Ceasefire - Urges President to Halt Task Force Operation

The FrontPage Africa reports that the House of Representatives and the Senate has issued a joint statement, calling on President Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf to instruct the Special Presidential taskforce to cease attacks on former and current members of the Legislature. “The Legislature therefore calls on the President to instruct the special Taskforce to cease attacking the person and property of any present or former member of the Legislature while the joint committee carries out the investigation.” The daily quotes House Speaker J. Alex Tyler and Senate Pro-Tempore, Armah Jallah, as saying that the Executive has failed to observe the principle of coordination consistent with the constitution and rules of the House and Senate.

Related Captions: In Global Witness Allegations: Legislature To ‘Investigate Self’ (Daily Observer), Legislature Issues Red Card To Ellen’s Taskforce (FOCUS)

OTHER STORIES

UN To Terminate Liberia Sanctions Regime

The United Nations Security Council is expected to adopt a resolution that terminates the Liberia sanctions regime. This will end the remaining arms measures on Liberia that were established in 2003. According to the NEWS newspaper, the US circulated a draft of the resolution on 17 May, and an expert level meeting was held on 19 May. The draft text was put under silence procedure yesterday and is now in blue. The sanctions on Liberia have been reduced over the years so that they currently only include an arms embargo on non-state actors and a requirement that the 1521 Committee be notified in advance of arms transfers to the Liberian government. Last September, resolution 2237 terminated the asset freeze and travel ban measures, which resulted in the delisting of 51 individuals and entities. On 13 May, Ambassador Volodymyr Yelchenko (Ukraine), Chair of the Liberia sanctions committee, briefed members in consultations on the committee's activities and the final report of the Panel of Experts (S/2016/348). During the consultations, the US informed members of its plans to end the sanctions in the upcoming resolution.

Gov't Committed To CLSG Program …Dep. Min. Russ Says

The NEWS newspaper reports that Liberia's Deputy Lands and Mines Minister for Operations, Mr. Sam Russ has disclosed that Government remains committed to ensuring that support is given to the Transmission Company for Cote d' Ivoire, Liberia Sierra Leone and Guinea (TRANSCO CLSG) project. Dep. Min. Russ assertion was contained in a brief statement at the regular session of the national monitoring committee. The weeklong CLSG national monitoring committee session will be followed by the setting up of local committees as well as the launch of the information and sensitization campaign for the implementation of the Environmental and Social Management Plan ESMP and the Resettlement Action Plan (RAP) here.

Related Caption: Gov’t Remains Committed To CLSG Program-Deputy Minister Ross (Daily Observer). In another story reported by the FOCUS newspaper, captioned  “LME Urges Public To Help Fight Power Theft”, the Ministry of Land Mines and Energy (LME) has called on the public to help fight power theft by reporting individuals or groups involved in the act to the ministry for possible prosecution under the law.

Court Entertains Argument ...In Sherman's Case

The presiding judge of the Criminal Court 'A' has entertained argument into a motion filed by prosecutors, seeking to have access to the bank statements of Senator Varney Sherman, his law firm and former Senator Cletus Wortorson. Last week, the state filed a subpoena duces tecum on International Bank, Liberia Limited, Eco- bank Liberia limited, Guaranty Trust Bank Liberia Limited, and Global bank Liberia Limited to bring before the court bank statements of the above individuals mentioned in the motion. According to the News newspaper, the motion is a result of a report released by the London based watchdog, Global Witness, in which it asserted that several past and current Liberian government officials allegedly took bribes to change Liberian concession laws in favor of the British Mining Company, Sable. Global Witness said its report is based on leaked documents and email, exchanges between Liberian officials. The watchdog claimed that Senator Sherman was hired by Sable Mining to pass bribe Liberian officials, a claim which he denied. In resistance to the writ of subpoena duces tecum, lawyers representing the accused asked the court to quash the motion on grounds that the movant/accused have not been arraigned before the court; hence, the motion should be quashed forthwith, reports the NEWS newspaper

Related Caption: Court Reserves Ruling In Motion To Quash Subpoena Of Bank Accounts (FOCUS)

Liberia’s Vice President Eyes Full Disclosures from NGOs in Africa

Vice President Joseph N. Boakai said he wants to see a continent that will be inclusive and called for full disclosure of resources that are spent on African Countries. According to Vice President Boakai, sometimes there is no way that monies and resources spent on projects by International nongovernmental organization can be accounted for by Africans Governments because they are not in the know, they only see figures.  He said African countries are credited for money that they cannot see or account for but spent by NGOs. African Governments are charged with corruption for money spent by others. Vice President Boakai then called for full disclosure of such funds by NGOs spending the money on behalf of African governments on projects in those countries. According to the FrontPage Africa newspaper, VP Boakai made the assertion when he spoke at the African Union High-level panel on humanitarian Effectiveness in Africa convening on the peripherals of the World Humanitarian Summit in Istanbul. The summit outlined a number of aspirations for Africa called the Agenda 2063 calling for a prosperous Africa based on inclusive growth and sustainable development and a continent that is politically-integrated and united based on the ideas of Pan Africanism and the Vision of Africa’s Renaissance.

Related Caption: VP Boakai Takes On NGOs-Demands Full Disclosure Of Money Spent On African Countries (The ANALYST)

Chinese Embassy Holds 15th "Chinese Bridge" Competition

A Liberia student learning the Chines Language at the Confucius Institute has won a one year scholarship to study the language in the People’s Republic of China. Gabriel H. Neufville, the first dux among five in the “15th Chinese Bridge Competition,” will benefit from the scholarship to equip him at a higher level and prepare him to teach the language, reports the Daily Observer.

Gov’t  Institutions Not Complying With FOI

The Independent Information Commission (IIC) has disclosed that some government institutions are disrespecting and hindering the works of the commission. Speaking at the launch of the commission’s Freeedom of Information Compliance Report Card yesterday in Monrovia, Mr. Emmanuel d. Howe disclosed that the Independent Information Commission on October 2015 issued an Administrative Circular to all entities covered by the Act to adhere to its mandates. He said despite the request, only a few entities heeded to the Circular, writes the INQUIRER newspaper.

AfDB Donates To MOCI

According to the INQUIRER newspaper, the African Development Bank (AfDB) yesterday in Monrovia donated Information Communication Technology (ICT) equipment to the Ministry of Commerce and Industry. Items included laptops, servers, scanners and other items valued at approximately over thirty-five thousand United States Dollars meant to support the Asycuda, perfume electric scanning, and enable easy access to custom software amongst others.