Moses D. Sandy

 

In today’s Liberia, Laurence Bropleh is a household name. The Rev. Dr. Lawrence Bropleh is renowned at home and abroad because he is the Liberian Government’s “show man”. Dr. Bropleh is Liberia’s Minister of Information Culture Affairs and Tourism; an enviable post in the Ellen Johnson – Sirleaf Administration. Bropleh, as he is affectionately called wields significant power in the government.

Because of his role, public relations; literally taking the regime’s programs and policies to the door stairs of Liberians and the international community, the man of the gospel-turned politician, is considered by most Liberians as one of the inner circles of the Sirleaf Administration. He is a confidant; a trusted aide. According to a high-placed source at the Executive Mansion in Monrovia, Liberia, “Dr. Bropleh has the ears of the President.” As government Chief Spokesman, Dr. Bropleh enjoys the President’s implicit confidence.  Within and outside Liberia, Dr. Bropleh’s unrestricted access to the Presidency, has won him both friends and foes. His admirers adore him for being “smart and eloquent” while his critics portray him as “flamboyant and arrogant.”

MICAT Financial Scandal

But on Friday, October 16, 2009, the desirable tie, which subsists between the President and her Chief Spokesman, took a nosedive when the Chief Executive, out of disappointment and anger over the Ministry of Information Culture Affairs and Tourism (MICAT), corruption saga striped him of his power temporarily. An Executive Mansion press release quotes President Sirleaf as saying Dr. Bropleh’s political authority as Minister of Information has for now been shelved pending the outcome of an ongoing probe by the Justice Ministry into what Finance Minister Augustine Ngafuan termed as muddy financial transactions at MICAT.

“Recently, we wrote the Ministry of Information seeking clarification on financial transactions at foreign missions, especially press attaches; and we are waiting for the response. We can not tolerate such act; fraudsters may by pass today but not always do so,” Minister Ngafuan, in a reported telephone interview told Front Page Africa (FPA), an online Liberian media outlet.

In the ongoing corruption probe, Dr. Bropleh is cited as one of the principal suspects; and he is the first Minister of Information in recent Liberian history to be cited for reported theft. Prior to his suspension, the President Sirleaf on Wednesday, October 14, 2009 stunned  Liberians, when she ordered her one time trusted aide to abruptly end an official trip to China where he had gone to attend a ministerial workshop on radio and television for developing countries to return home immediately. “The President has sent an E-mail to Minister Bropleh to return to the country and I am sure he will be back home by Friday,” FPA quoted Deputy Information Minister for Administration, Cletus Sieh as saying.

According to Deputy Minister Sieh, President Sirleaf’s robust directive to Dr. Bropleh was predicated on the unearthing of a financial scandal at MICAT, which reportedly linked the minister and two other senior officials of the ministry to the shady dispensation of more than $300,000 to some individuals, who the ministry claimed are in the employ of its foreign missions. The report alleges that with Minister Bropleh’s acquiescence the MICAT Comptroller, Joseph Nyamunue and Chief Accountant, Josiah Gwagee under dubious circumstances dished out thousands of US dollars to five Liberians, including journalists, Bernard Waritay, Gabriel Williams, and Ernest Kiazulu of the US Embassy in Monrovia for tasks that were never executed. The report further maintained that as part of the deal, Dr. Bropleh and his accomplices paid more than $ 42,000 as salary to the deceased J. Sabato Wiah for serving Government as Press Attaché at the Liberian Embassy in Nigeria during the period, October 2007 to December 2008. Journalist Wiah is reported to have died more than two years ago.

But two of the suspects, Journalists Waritay and Kiazulu have since distanced themselves from the reported fraud. Journalist Kiazulu, who the report cited as receiving more than $42,000 as compensation from October to December 2007 and January to December 2008, in a rebuttal, termed the allegation as frivolous. The report listed Mr. Kiazulu as Press Attaché at the Liberian Embassy in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. For his part, Journalist Waritay admitted to receiving from MICAT $ 3,187 monthly for August and September 2009 as allowances, but not $25,502.56 for eight months as reflected in the Ministry of Finance disbursement records.

Determined to get to the crux of the matter, the Liberian Government suspended for time indefinite Comptroller Nyamunue and Chief Accountant Gwagee; and immediately kicked off an investigation into to the scandal. The Justice Ministry arrested and incarcerated the two men while President Sirleaf temporarily replaced the suspended Minister with the Deputy Minister of Information for Technical Services, Elizabeth Enoayi-Hoff as Acting Minister. The President also mandated Liberia’s Auditor General, John Molu, II of the General Auditing Commission (GAC) to fast track the commission’s ongoing audit at the Information Ministry in order to help with the current investigation.

Bropleh’s Hypocrisy

Paradoxically, while the suspended Minister and his co-conspirators were allegedly lining their pockets with monies intended for the MICAT foreign missions including the late J. Sabato Wiah, he routinely made public appearances in the media to champion the cause of the Liberian Government anti corruption campaign.  Dr. Bropleh consistently bad mouthed dishonesty in the Liberian society through what he referred to as “The Liberia Renaissance.” The crusade focused on what the self proclaimed saint termed as “Changing Minds and Changing Attitudes,” especially corrupt practices. “Look let me tell you, I was very surprised and could not believe that our man, who is noted for boasting and talking all around here will be involved in such act,” a senior member of the Sirleaf Administration reportedly told FPA when the MICAT financial mess became public.

Dr. Bropleh’s reported misdeed is considered by most Liberians as a betrayal of public trust and a slap in the face of President Sirleaf, who most Liberians believe considers the “man of God” one of her “untouchables.” The suspended Minister’s reported link to the MICAT scandal according to a fifty year old US based Liberian, who spoke to the author of this article on the condition of anonymity, “is a distraction to the Liberian Government’s professed anti corruption campaign because he is the embodiment of the regime’s programs and policies.”

Albert and Laurence Bropleh; Are They Criminals?

Coincidentally, Dr. Bropleh’s trouble comes at the time when his brother, Albert Bropleh, the suspended Chairman of the Liberian Telecommunications Agency (LTA) is being probed by the Anti Corruption Commission in Monrovia for what the Sirleaf Administration termed as fishy financial transactions at the LTA. President Sileaf early this year put on hold Chairman Bropleh’s employment at the LTA pending the outcome of the Anti Corruption Commission's ongoing investigation. The accused is reported to have duped the LTA of thousands of US dollars by making fake purchases on behalf of the LTA, and unilaterally increasing his monthly salary without any legal basis. “Sources at the LTA disclosed that the gross yearly salary for Chairman Bropleh is US $ 129,000, an indication that the LTA boss receives US $ 10,750 monthly; a monthly salary, which exceeds the monthly wages of most government officials including lawmakers,” FPA (2009), reported.

Mr. Bropleh’s suspension was preceded by the passage of a vote of no confidence in him, and subsequent imprisonment by members of the House of Representatives. The House chastised the suspended chairman for perjury when he allegedly lied that he used US $ 52,000 of the LTA funds to bribe the lawmakers for what he referred to as “legislative education and enlightenment.” Even though the matter is being probed but political sources in Monrovia say the investigation seem to be making little or no progress.

A 25 year old US-based Liberian with residence in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, simply referred to as sister Bandu, in an interview with the author of this article regarding the Broplehs’ corruption cases remarked, “I am not surprised at what Dr. Bropleh is reported to have done at the Ministry of Information because this is just a replica of what his brother did at the LTA. What do you expect? Laurence and Albert are from the same genealogy.”

Sister Bendu, who seemed very upset and disturbed at the news report, noted: “This is not unusual because Birds of the Same Feather Flock Together.”

Even though an allegation is not a conviction, but the Broplehs’ reported corruption sagas as seen in most Liberian communities abroad are embarrassment for President Sirleaf and the Liberian Government because of Dr. Bropleh’s role in the administration. The suspended minister reported role in the MICAT scandal undermines the government’s declared war on corruption in Liberia.

About the Author: Moses D. Sandy is a professional social worker with a Master’s in Social Work (MSW) from Temple University located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. He is a former broadcast Liberian journalist with more than ten years working experience. He last worked at the Liberia Broadcasting System (LBS) as Editor-in-Chief of the News and Public Affairs Department. He currently resides in Delaware, USA. He can be reached at mdogbasandy@aol.com