The Center for the Promotion of Intellectual Development (CENPID) and its offspring, the Friends of Boakai (FOB) headquarters at Carey Street in central Monrovia, have allegedly suspended several of their officials for corruption which has rocked both centers for the past weeks.
Amongst those believe to have been suspended according to the report, include CENPID’s National Moderator, Anthony Lander; Vice Moderator Clarence Dennis; Board of Directors’ Chairman, Michel Jones and others.
The report said the accused could not allegedly account for US$5,500 given to CENPID and FOB for self-empowerment by Unity Party (UP) Standard-Bearer, Joseph Nyumah Boakai on Thursday, 01 June of this year when they met with him at his residence in the Rehab Community on the outskirt of the capitol, Monrovia.
According to the report, the money was given to the executives of CENPID and FOB so as empowerment their members during this ongoing electioneering ahead of the Tuesday, October 10 presidential and legislative elections later this year in the country.
The report said instead of depositing the money into the organizations’ accounts for accountability purposes and used for the intended reason, it was allegedly diverted into personal use by the delegation who met with the Unity Party (UP’s) torchbearer, Joseph Nyumah Boakai, at his residence in the Rehab Community.
Because of the gravity of the allegations that have been levied against both Lander and Jones they have reportedly been ostracized by their memberships that they hardly visit their own organizations headquarters as compared to before.
However, to ascertain the fact of the matter, this paper reached out to CENPID’s National Moderator, Anthony Lander; and Board of Directors’ Chairman, Michel Jones, both of whom seems to be bearing the greater responsible having stand accused by their organizations membership on the allegation of corruption.
For Lander, he could neither confirm nor deny the report when spoke to this paper vie mobile phone Wednesday, July in Monrovia. However, he admitted of receiving the US$5, 500 but denied report of personalizing the usage or sharing the money amongst the delegation that met with Boakai as it is being perceived in the public.
He stated that as far he is concerned he did not share or distributed money amongst people who form part of CENPID’s delegation that met with Joseph Nyumah Boakai at his residence early last month(June) in the Rehab Community on the outskirt of the capitol.
Lander then fell short to state what then become of the money since it was not personalized amongst the delegates that visited Boakai when the donation was made to the CENPID and FOB for its membership empowerment program during this ongoing electioneering period?
While FOB’s Jones claimed he knows nothing or not aware of any US$5, 500 from Joseph Nyumah Boakai therefore, he could not speak further as he was on business transactions at a local bank when spoke to him by mobile phone yesterday in Monrovia.
But commenting on the institutional corruption earlier, Joseph “Joe” Dennis, who becomes CENPID’s Acting Moderator following the incident claimed that both Lander and Jones alongside some of the delegation alleged confession to their involvement.
He alleged that the confession was made the period under reviewed at the FOB headquarters on Carey Street where they confronted by those who never went but were annoyed from what they heard about what transpired or happened thereafter.
Notwithstanding, Dennis said some of those who were honest by admitting to the allegation including CENPID’s Secretary General, Samuel Teh and others have begun refunding portion of their shares of the money for which they have collected over US$1, 000 to the present.
The CENPID’s Acting Moderator could not state whether the two principal accused (Lander and Jones) have return their portion of money. However, he is of the believed that they shall get there.
Unlike individual corruption, institutional corruption is typically characterized by the absence of individual corrupt motives or, in other words, by the absence of a personal commitment to promoting interests exogenous to the purposes of an institution.
Therefore, what happened to the US$5, 500 given to CENPID and FOB headquartered on Carey Street by the Unity Party (UP’s) standard-bearer, Joseph Nyumah Boakai last month (June) should not be a strange matter.
This is because the issue of corruption whether it is in the home, organization, church, mosque as well as private or public sector has to do with the lack of accountability in nearly all of the intellectual centers in and around Monrovia where both old and young people assembly daily to discuss national matters..
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