United States Urged to Deny Visas to Corrupt Liberian Government Officials.

News

 

Executive Mansion, Monrovia

President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf of Liberia has called on the Government of the United States of America to deny visas to any and all corrupt Liberian Government Officials and other suspected corrupt individuals who wish to take refuge in America to flee prosecution.

A News release from President Sirleaf’s Executive Mansion in Monrovia quotes her as saying that there is a need for more effective partnership with the United States in governance and the rule of law.

“We must now work together to ensure that Liberians who commit fraud and other acts of corruption in Liberia will not find a safe haven in the United States,” the President said. Noting that the United States and Liberia must work together to ensure that Liberians who extort and cheat the country of its meager resources and flee to the United States will face prosecution in the United States or be extradited to Liberia to face prosecution.

The Liberian Leader made the request when she participated in ground-breaking ceremonies for a new embassy complex expansion for the United States in Monrovia.

President Sirleaf however, regretted after conceding that despite the gains made by her administration, corruption continues to undermine the integrity of her country, and must be brought to a halt.

Since she took over the difficult challenge of rebuilding her war-shattered nation, some of her officials have been seriously accused of endemic corruption, but she has done little or nothing to prove to Liberians and donors how serious her administration is about fighting corruption.

She described the United States as Liberia’s strategic partner which has supported the country’s development priorities, including Liberia’s security sector reform, economic revitalization, and infrastructure.

In the meantime, the Liberian Leader has lauded the U.S. Government for its decision to construct a new embassy complex in Liberia as this would provide additional employment opportunities for Liberians during the construction of the complex, noting that the project will add significant impetus to the implementation of Government’s Poverty Reduction Strategy (PRS), otherwise known as “Lift Liberia.”

The U.S. Ambassador to Liberia, Linda Thomas-Greenfield, described the project as a symbol of her country’s confidence in the President’s efforts to rebuild Liberia. The United States Ambassador said the US will continue to stand by Liberia in its reconstruction process, adding, “We will help Liberia rebuild.” Ambassador Thomas-Greenfield also paid homage to those Liberians who lost their lives at the new U.S. embassy site in search of refuge during the country’s conflict. She disclosed that a memorial will be erected in their memory to ensure that their stories are not forgotten.

The U.S. embassy building project, according to Michael Veal, of BL Herbert International, the construction firm undertaking the project, is expected to be completed in 30 months. He disclosed that the project will provide jobs for more than 600 local workers, with more than USD $20 million infused in the local economy. Located at the Grey Stone Compound in Mamba Point, the present site hosting the US Embassy premises, the total cost of the new embassy project is estimated at more than USD $150 million.

Editor @ June 8, 2009