The Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Liberia, Augustine Kpehe Ngafuan, has instructed the Internal Audit Section of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to conduct a full-scale forensic audit and investigation to ascertain the nature, scale, amount and probable participants to a fraud relating to the management of a capacity-building project fund under the Department of International Cooperation & Economic Integration of the Ministry.

The Internal Audit Section, comprising auditors from the Internal Audit Agency (IAA), is expected to present the report not later than Monday, August 10, 2015.

According to a Foreign Ministry release, the commission of the forensic audit was prompted by the abrupt and unannounced departure from the country of Mr. Augustine Nah Nyanplu, Senior Desk Officer & Project Manager, after vendors issued checks against the project account at the Afriland Bank alerted the Ministry to difficulties in encashing their checks due to insufficiency of funds.

The Ministry has therefore contacted the International Criminal Police Organization (INTERPOL) to assist in apprehending Mr. Nyanplu, who is currently believed to be on the run in the United States of America.

Meanwhile, President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf has been duly apprised of the unfolding developments as the Internal Audit Section of the Ministry conducts the investigation, which report will inform the basis for a subsequent full-scale investigation by the Liberia Anti-Corruption Commission (LACC).