NPA Suggested My Escape

The National Port Authority or NPA’s alleged contractor, who failed to implement two contracts valued over US$800,000 – Mr. Deneah Martin Flomo, has accused indicted former NPA Comptroller Christina
Kpabar-Paelay of telling him to flee Monrovia because journalists and the Liberia Anti-Corruption Commission or LACC were after him.

Mrs. Paelay and her former boss, Ms. Matilda Parker, remain on trial after prosecution abandoned further legal action against witness Flomo as state witness against his one-time business partners. They allegedly awarded him “wreck removal” and “ security consultancy” contracts valued over US$800,000.

“Firstly, before going to the LACC, I received a call from Lawrence Dahn and he handed over his phone to the comptroller and she told me that the LACC was in search for me and I should leave Monrovia and go up Country, because journalists were also in search for me to have me interviewed on this matter,” witness Flomo claimed on Wednesday, 13 January.

Witness Flomo also claimed that it took him “closed to 7 to 8 months” on the run – hiding from the LACC, but told the court and jury that he “got tired” hiding from the LACC investigators, and went to his lawyer, Cllr. Momolu G. Kandakia and explained the story.

“… And he told me that the best thing to do was to report myself to the LACC. So, he accompanied me to the LACC,” he also claimed. The controversial contractor testified how defendant Paelay asked him to change his number -0886932694, and subsequently acquired a new one – 0770432110, having accordingly followed defendant Paelay’s advice.

“So, during this period, I only interacted with Lawrence Dahn who came to my house to inform me about the situation that was unfolding,” he said, admitting signing contract documents brought before him by Ms. Parker at the NPA, but claimed that he signed them unknowingly and that Ms. Parker had allegedly told him that he would get to know the purpose of the pages he was signing later.

He said he was not a wreck engineer and did not have security consultancy firm, yet he allegedly en-cashed a US$250,000 check written in his name, following which he hand-delivered the amount to Comptroller Paelay who allegedly gave him US$1,000 in appreciation.

He concluded that he received other checks – some US$125,000; US$49,950; US$36,000; US$18,000 and that he en-cashed all, saying he did not do any of the contracts at the center of controversy, except that he allegedly supplied the NPA with stationery in the tune of US$3,000 which payment was made to him after he en-cashed a US$250,000 check written in his name.

The case continues this morning at 10:30am at the Temple of Justice on Capitol Hill.

By Winston W. Parley