Liberia: Ellen Backs Bility

President Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf appeared to have slapped Liberians in the face, strongly announcing her confidence and trust in indicted Liberia Airport Authority (LAA) Board Chairman Mr. Musa H. Bility, condemning corruption charges against the defendant.

Liberia’s Justice Ministry, which operates under the authority of the Executive Branch of Government, recently indicted several government officials and private bank operators here including dismissed LAA Managing Director Ellen Corkrum and Musa Bility over the alleged misapplication of over US$200,000.

Though court proceedings into the matter has not begun here, Liberia’s Chief Executive President Sirleaf at a honoring program held Thursday night at the C. Cecil Dennis Hall at the Foreign Ministry in Monrovia strongly debated that because Mr. Bility was always responding to government’s call to take on difficult and strategic assignments, he sometimes gets all kinds criticisms and false accusations.

Mr. Bility headed a committee called the Special Presidential Nimba Land Dispute Committee that was honored by the Ministry of Internal Affairs in Monrovia Thursday, having successfully executed the President’s mandate to restore peace in the county.

Commenting at the occasion, President Sirleaf said, “I particularly want to thank Mr. Bility. He has always responded to government’s call to take on difficult and strategic assignments. And because of that sometimes he gets all kinds of criticisms; all kinds of false accusations; but in each case I can say to you that the confidence we have in his carrying of his responsibility with integrity with commitment is strong because we believe in him.”

Further, the President insisted that what Mr. Bility did “just by cheering the committee and giving the commitment to the other members” was just exemplary of the things he does for government and for the country in so many ways.

The Liberian Government through the Bility Committee announced the spending of almost $1.5m to bring peace to Nimba County. The county with some five tribal groups- Gio, Manor, Dahn Krahn and Dei was over the past years engulfed into sever land dispute, mainly between residents and returnees who had fled the country during the years of civil conflict here.

In an interview with Mr. Bility, he said the president has the right to trust whom she can trust and whom not to trust, saying she knows me- what I can do and what I’m not able to do. He said the truth will unveil itself as regards his corruption charge, saying the president has reiterated her confidence in me.