By Varney Dukuly
MONROVIA: A rushed digital transformation initiative at the Liberia Telecommunications Authority (LTA), has been marred by irregularities as its implementing partners, improperly transferred US$450,000 and LD$262,844,500.00 (over US$1.3 million at 195 exchange rate) to TAMMA Corporation and 231 Data Incorporated, according to report of a recent government audit conducted by the General Auditing Commission (GAC).
The findings add to a growing body of evidence, detailing what financial analysts characterized as unprecedented level of fraud in past government operations.
In his report, the Auditor General of Liberia, criticized the LTA for disbursing nearly half a million dollars for digital projects without a signed contract or a detailed work plan.
The audit also revealed that LTA distributed LD$169,319,769.20 (over US$86,000 at the exchange rate of 195) for its headquarters construction project to BMC Incorporated, exceeding the agreed-upon second payment.
The payments were based on a report by technical evaluator, Hasan Al-Turabi Samura, dated September 9, 2023.
However, the GAC noted that Samura’s evaluation failed to comprehensively document the technical details of the construction work, yet his report was used as the basis for payments to Building Material Center Group Incorporated.
Other troubling findings included a lack of evidence that the bid evaluation committee had the requisite technical expertise to assess the construction project.
Additionally, the audit found that the LTA had not obtained an Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) permit, leading to a halt in construction due to unresolved environmental concerns, as the headquarters site is located on a wetland.
The audit, covering the period from January 1, 2018, to December 31, 2023, was conducted in accordance with section 2.1.3 of the General Auditing Act of 2014.
Suspended members of the LTA management team—Israel Akinsanya, D. Zotawon Titus, Cllr. Osborne Diggs, and James Gbarwea—disputed the GAC audit findings, stated that they could not justify the disbursement of funds to TAMMA Corporation and 231 Data Incorporated.
In a response included in the audit report, the suspended commissioners stated: “The board knows nothing about the project.”
They emphasized that aside from Chairperson Edwina Zackpah, no other commissioner was a signatory to the Liberia Digital Transformation project.
“Madam Zackpah must exclusively provide justifications regarding the project,” the report noted.
The Auditor General urged the Legislature to consider the recommendations outlined in the report with urgency, citing the critical issues raised during the investigation.
Madam Zackpah who is currently out of the country could not be reached for comment on the issue, as her phone was said to have been switched off up to press time.
