Confusion over district #16 account

Claims and counter-claims are being traded over bank account of Montserrado County electoral district#16 with fingers pointed at Representative Edward Forh for allegedly collecting billboard fees from local companies and businesses within his district.

Making the allegation recently to reporters, the Governor of the Borough of New Kru Town, Madam Alice B. Weah said, in order to implement his self-style collection of local government revenue, Representative Forh allegedly established an account at Ecobank Liberia Limited without her knowledge.

She further claimed that Representative Forh’s driver, Mr. Ambrose Sieh Pantan is signatory “B” while signatory “A” is the General Chairman of the district, and signatory “C” is the Mayor of the Monrovia City Corporation (MCC).
She disclosed that without any prior information to her office, the three alleged signatories have been collecting municipal taxes from businesses and companies with erected billboards in the district.

Governor Weah continued that because of the situation, she refused to renew the agreement between the Municipal Borough of New Kru Town and the Monrovia City Corporation (MCC).
She added that both Representative Forh and the Mayor of Monrovia were collecting and expending funds generated from the area without check and balances.
She said both officials were allegedly withdrawing money from the account which is at Ecobank’s branch near Caldwell intersection, depriving the borough of development. This writer, who visited Representative Edward Forh’s office on many occasions, was informed that the district #16 lawmaker was indisposed, and could not speak to the issue.

However, an associate of Representative Forh, who begged for anonymity, confirmed the establishment of a new bank account in the name of the borough. According to the associate, the eight nominating representatives who made up the district council, decided to change the bank account because Governor Weah was not accounting for funds raised from local government taxes in the borough since her incumbency as Governor of New Kru Town.

The source disclosed that Governor Weah was also unable to account for money generated from the collection of billboards fees, amounting to several thousand dollars. The associate could not confirm or deny that Representative Forh’s driver, Mr. Pantan is one of the signatories to the account.

When this paper contacted the Monrovia City Corporation (MCC), communication director Jacob Walker declined to comment unless he sought clarifications from the MCC’s account department.

-Editing by Jonathan Browne