Citizens want 2 Sinoe officials out
For alleged corruption
A group of citizens from Sinoe County under the banner, Dugbe River Union have accused County superintendent Lee Nagbe Chea and Jaedae Statutory Superintendent Robert M. Tarpeh of extorting nearly two million Liberian dollars plus US$2,000.00 and cattle from miners, local businesses, and the Forestry Development Authority in the county, thus calling for their dismissal.
In a written complaint to the minister of internal affairs Varney A. Sirleaf, they listed six counts against Superintendent Chea and three counts against district superintendent Tarpeh, detailing cash and items allegedly extorted by the two officials.
The letter dated September 8, 2021, says Superintendent Chea allegedly led 14 armed police officers to Tuzonbury city in Sinoe, harassed and intimidated citizens, business community, including gold miners, and extorted over 1.3 Million Liberian dollars plus sheep.
It also reveals Chea collaborated with Ghanaian gold miners in Jaedae district and dredged rivers and creeks, polluting the only sources of drinking water for citizens.
According to the communication, on October 29, 2020, the superintendent again took armed police officers and disrupted a meeting between tribal people of Jaedae and the Management of Hummingbird, a mining firm thereby denying their right to peaceful assembly. “Sometimes in 2019 Mr. Chea demanded and collected from Jaedae Development Fund LRD100, 000.00.”
The Dugbe River Union officials said Chea sidelined the people of Jaedae and signed a social contract agreement with a Chinese Mining Company operating in the district, personally accruing benefit from the agreement, among others.
As for district superintendent Robert M. Tarpeh, the complaint said he misappropriated 1 million Liberian Dollars (LRD1, 000,000.00) from the development fund donated to the district by President George Weah.
“That Mr. Tarpeh was seen with two armed immigration border guards, intimated alluvial miners and collected Two Hundred Thousand (LRD2,00,000.00)”
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It further said Tarpeh collected US$2,000.00 from the Forestry Development Authority to train locals how to manage the forest, but the district superintendent misappropriated the amount.
“Based on these corrupt practices on the part of the two (20 Superintendent, Hon. Minister, we recommend their dismissal following a guilty verdict against them”, the letter concludes. https://thenewdawnliberia.com/sinoe-rivercess-in-land-dispute/
