MONROVIA: Nimba County’s charismatic Senator and former feared warlord, Prince Y. Johnson, alias, “PYJ” has divulged that there exists a plot to deny him his constitutional right to seek re-election in the 2023 elections as Senator of Nimba County. Nimba County has the second largest population with 462,026 people, according to the 2008 National Census data.
Senator Johnson insists that Liberia is a sovereign nation that is guided by its Constitution and that none of its citizens can be deprived of the constitutional right to seek and occupy elected or appointed public posts based on “mere report issued on the basis of lies.
The Nimba County Senator was speaking in an exclusive interview with this paper, in response to call by a US-based International Justice Group to the National Elections Commission (NEC) not to permit him (Senator Johnson and others) who are on US Treasury Department designated sanction list not to contest for any elected posts in the 2023 Presidential and Legislative Elections.
The Nimba political ‘god-father’ pointed out yesterday that no portion of the 1986 Constitution of Liberia, which is the organic law of the land, calls for the denial of any citizen including himself, the basic right to contest in an election without being convicted in a court of competent jurisdiction as requires by law.
He described Cllr. Jerome Verdier, Chairman of the Washington DC based global justice group, styled International Justice Group (IJG), as an individual with no authority to instruct the National Elections Commission (NEC), as who to qualify or disqualify from participating in the upcoming presidential and legislative elections. Cllr. Verdier is also former Chairman of the erstwhile Liberia Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC).
Prince Johnson: “Jerome Verdier has no authority to instruct the National Elections Commission to stop me or any government officials sanctioned by the United States Government from taking part in the upcoming elections.
“Besides, Jerome Verdier has no credibility. He was charged with authority to head the Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC), he did not perform well as the group had to split, because his colleagues from the other side of the divide accused him of witch haunting and not leading a credible process,” PYJ told this paper.
According to Senator Johnson, this is among many other reasons why ex-President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf and members of the 52nd Legislature did not implement the Recommendations contained in the 2009 TRC Final Report.
He said the United States Treasury Department that sanctioned him for corruption has miserably failed to provide any substantive evidence to back the “pay to play” allegations levied against him.
The Nimba County senator accused the political leader of the Alternative National Congress (ANC), Alexander Benedict Cummings, alias “ABC” of being the mastermind behind the origin of the US Treasury Sanction against him, because he (Senator Johnson) supported incumbent President Weah for the Liberian Presidency in 2017 elections.
Mr. Cummings could not be immediately reached for comments on Senator Johnson’s assertions against him.
The American sanctions against me is not justifiable. There’s no evidence to substantiate the so-called “pay to play” allegations contained in the report, he insisted.
Johnson: “I went to elections and supported a candidate who won the process, am I not supposed to benefit for my support to the government. Is that what the US Treasury Department referred to as “pay to play?”
“Cummings is the mastermind behind the making of the US treasury Department sanction. Jerome Verdier was hired to do a piece of job which he has failed to complete, so the best thing he can do is to leave those with the authority to implement the report. His so-called letter to NEC to have individuals mentioned in the report stopped from contesting cannot hold water”, the former warlord and two- term incumbent Senator of Nimba stressed.
PYJ: “I will be on the ballot in 2023 including Nathaniel McGill and Bill Twehway because we have not been convicted by any competent court of jurisdiction in Liberia. So as far as am concern, I am not traveling out of Liberia. I am seventy years now and very weary of traveling by air to any country worldwide.”
However, the fate of Nimba County’s Senator to seek re-election in the crucial 2023 Presidential and Legislative elections appears to be in limbo as the influential global justice group, based in Washington DC, styled: International Justice Group (IJG), has issued Liberia’s National Elections Commission (NEC), a “Notice of Intentions to Object” to his Candidature.
Senator Johnson is a former Liberian warlord, blamed for the torture and subsequent killing of former President Samuel Kanyon Doe in 1990s during the country’s decade-long armed conflict.
An estimated 250,000 persons, predominately women and children died in the war which left more than a million others internally and externally displaced.
The Notice which has been issued to the NEC is also targeting other individuals including former Passport Director at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Andrew Wonplo; Varney G. Sherman, incumbent Senator of Grand Cape Mount County; Cllr. Sayma Syrenius Cephus, former Solicitor General of Liberia; Bill Twehway, former Managing Director of National Port Authority (NPA); and Nathaniel Falo McGill, former Minister of State for Presidential Affairs.
IJG further informed the NEC that it would object to Johnson and others to be named in the future from participating in the ensuing 2023 Legislative and Presidential Elections or in any contest for public offices, in the future for various forms of transgression against the public interest and morality, including acts of public corruption, war crimes, crimes against humanity, and egregious violations of international human rights and humanitarian laws, whether listed or not in The Final Reports of The Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Liberia (TRC).
The United States based International Justice Group, maintains that the “sanctioned individuals” have been publicly designated by the US Government for public corruption and /or Human Rights Violations as publicly documented under the Global Magnitsky Act Sanctions Program.
According to IJG, although the Global Magnitsky Act sanctions are not criminal convictions, it is a formal condemnation and rebuke of an individual who has been investigated by the US Government and deemed to have sufficient evidence of corruption and /or human rights violations to justify a serious sanction.
“The US Government, without any doubt, thoroughly investigates every allegation of corruption and or/ human rights violation (s) before formally sanctioning anyone. As a result, the US Government makes it clear that no one can conduct business transactions with those who have been sanctioned,” IJG told the NEC officials.
“Consequently, as a result of our historical ties the Government of Liberia relies heavily on the financial and political support of the US Government, so it seems inconceivable that a government official, either elected or appointed who has been sanctioned would be eligible to engage in any government business with the US Government. Thereby making that person ineligible to hold any public office or elected office within Liberia,” the Notice asserted.
“Now is the time for the Government of Liberia to demonstrate serious leadership by sending a clear message to the people of Liberia that the commission of human rights violations and /or corruption by any Liberian public official, either appointed or elected is unacceptable and will be legal cause to prevent you from being able to hold any Government of Liberia position, either appointed or elected,” IJG further informed the NEC.
According to the group, “Liberia as a country suffers from serious image problem which has irreparably damaged our reputation as a nation and people. So, now is the time to send powerful message to the Global Community that the Government of Liberia will not tolerate corruption and or/ human rights violations committed by any government official,” the Notice added.
IJG: “By this Notice, we respectfully request that you (NEC), kindly notify us at the contact listed herein, including by emails provided now or that may be provided in future or by our address listed herein above or at one that may be subsequently provided you at the point of application or nominations of said individuals to enable us proffer a timely objection to their candidacy for being against public policy and injurious to the public interest objectives of the state and the best interest of the Liberian people.”
NEC has yet to acknowledge receipt of the IJG Communication, neither had the Commission made any comment on the issue.
In December 2021 on International Anti- Corruption day, the United States Treasury Department sanctioned Senator Johnson.
The US said “Prince Yormie Johnson (Johnson) is a former warlord and current member of the Liberian Senate. He is the former Chairman of the Senate Committee on National Security, Defense, Intelligence, and Veteran Affairs.
In 1990, he was responsible for the murder of former Liberian President, Samuel Kanyon Doe, and Johnson is named in Liberia’s Truth and Reconciliation (TRC) Final Report as having committed the highest number of atrocities during the country’s decade-long and back-to-back armed conflict.
As a Senator, according to the US Treasury Department, Johnson has been involved in pay-for-play funding with government ministries and organizations for personal enrichment.
As part of the scheme, upon receiving funding from the Government of Liberia (GOL), the involved government ministries and organizations launder a portion of the funding for return to the involved participants. The pay-for-play funding scheme involves millions of U.S. dollars, US said.
Additionally, it pointed out, Johnson receives an undeserved salary from the GOL as a salaried intelligence “source” yet he does not provide any form of intelligence reporting to the GOL; Johnson is reportedly being paid in order to maintain domestic stability. Johnson has also offered the sale of votes in multiple Liberian elections in exchange for money.
Johnson is designated pursuant to E.O. 13818 for being a foreign person who is a current or former government official, or a person acting for or on behalf of such an official, who is responsible for or complicit in, or has directly or indirectly engaged in, corruption, including the misappropriation of state assets, the expropriation of private assets for personal gain, corruption related to government contracts or the extraction of natural resources, or bribery”, the US stated.
Similarly, Senator Varney H. G. Sherman of Grand Cape Mount County was sanctioned in 2020 by the US for corruption, bribery and intimidation of Judges and Lawyers among others.
On International Anti-Corruption Day, December 9, 2020, the U.S. Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) targeted corrupt actors and their networks across several countries in Africa and Asia.
These actions are taken pursuant to Executive Order (E.O.) 13818, which builds upon and implements the Global Magnitsky Human Rights Accountability Act, and targets perpetrators of corruption and serious human rights abuse.
“On International Anti-Corruption Day, Treasury remains fully committed to imposing costs on those who facilitate corruption at the expense of the people,” said Deputy Secretary Justin G. Muzinich.
To raise public awareness for anti-corruption initiatives, International Anti-Corruption Day has been observed annually on December 9 since the United Nations General Assembly adopted the United Nations Convention against Corruption (UNCAC) on October 31, 2003.
There are currently 187 States parties to the UNCAC. In addition to sending a message against corrupt behavior, Treasury uses its tools to increase transparency, accountability, and the rule of law. With these designations, Treasury encourages all governments to implement anti-money laundering reforms to address corruption vulnerabilities.
In 2010, Harry Varney Gboto-Nambi Sherman (Sherman), now a prominent lawyer, Liberian Senator, and Chair of the Liberian Senate Judiciary Committee, was hired by a British mining company in an effort to obtain one of Liberia’s last remaining mining assets, the Wologizi iron ore concession. Sherman advised the company that, in order to obtain the contract, they first had to get Liberia’s concessions law changed by bribing senior officials. In 2016, Sherman was indicted by the Liberian government, along with several other government officials, for their involvement in the USD 950,000 bribery scheme. In 2019, the presiding judge acquitted all individuals accused of being involved in the bribery scheme. Sherman offered bribes to multiple judges associated with his trial and had an undisclosed conflict of interest with the judge who ultimately returned a not guilty verdict in July 2019. Sherman has routinely paid judges to decide cases in his favor, and he has allegedly facilitated payments to Liberian politicians to support impeachment of a judge who has ruled against him. Sherman’s acts of bribery demonstrate a larger pattern of behavior to exercise influence over the judiciary and the Ministry of Justice.
Sherman is designated for being a foreign person who is a current or former government official responsible for or complicit in, or directly or indirectly engaged in, corruption, including the misappropriation of state assets, the expropriation of private assets for personal gain, corruption related to government contracts or the extraction of natural resources, or bribery.
However, in its Final Report, the erstwhile Liberia Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC), recommended several persons for prosecution for gross human rights violations including violations of international human rights laws with Senator Johnson topping the list of over 100 alleged rights violators in the Liberian civil war.
