Global Media Network Center - GMNC

12/09/2022

US Embassy Clarifies

The U.S. Embassy in Monrovia has seen the reporting on the NEC's Biometric VR System and would like to correct the record.

At no point in time did the Embassy send the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Liberia an official Diplomatic Note, or any other communication, with the request to acquire a sample or specimen of the 2023 national voter registration card.

We understand that no decision has yet been made on awarding a contract for the biometric system, but that the process is ongoing and, according to the press, the Public Procurement and Concessions Commission (PPCC) is examining potential contracts.

We urge the PPCC to fulfill its mandate of ensuring integrity and transparency in the procurement process so that the Liberian public gets full value for money in the use of public funds.

The United States and Liberia share democratic values, including the commitment to free, fair, and transparent elections.

Our Mission works closely with partners in the government and in civil society focusing on next year's important national elections and we emphasize the necessity of non-violence and transparency in democratic societies.
We remind our international and local partners of the importance of data security, especially regarding sensitive Liberian voter data.

For official and accurate information about the U.S. Embassy, please visit the official website at
Ir.usembassy.gov and official social media accounts. Please contact [email protected] with press inquiries.

08/09/2022

Queen Elizabeth II of England Dies

The death of Queen Elizabeth II is being mourned in Britain and across the world. The country’s longest-reigning monarch died Thursday at age 96.

Large crowds are gathering outside Buckingham Palace in central London, while tributes pour in from across the country and the world. Fears had been growing as the royal family rushed to Scotland to be by the queen’s side after Buckingham Palace said she had been placed under medical supervision.

Few Britons have known another monarch, so the end of Elizabeth’s reign after more than 70 years will thrust the royal family — and Britain — into days of mourning and an uncertain new era.

In his first statement as king, Charles marked the death of his "beloved Mother, Her Majesty The Queen" as a "moment of the greatest sadness" for his family and the world.

"We mourn profoundly the passing of a cherished Sovereign and a much-loved Mother," Charles said.

"I know her loss will be deeply felt throughout the country, the Realms and the Commonwealth, and by countless people around the world," he said. "During this period of mourning and change, my family and I will be comforted and sustained by our knowledge of the respect and deep affection in which The Queen was so widely held."

Leaders in France mourn queen and plan to darken Eiffel Tower

French President Emmanuel Macron praised the queen on Twitter in the moments after her death as "a friend of France, a kind-hearted queen who has left a lasting impression on her country and her century."

Paris Mayor Anne Hidalgo also mourned the monarch after her passing and said the lights on the Eiffel Tower would be turned off tonight in tribute.

From Truman to Biden, Queen Elizabeth was beloved among U.S. presidents

Queen Elizabeth II, the longest-reigning monarch in British history, met with 13 sitting U.S. presidents during her lifetime, kindling a string of cordial relationships that helped strengthen the ties between the two nations. She died Thursday at age 96.

Harry Truman said she “captured the hearts” of the American public, while Barack Obama called her “truly one of my favorite people.”

Lyndon Johnson is the only one among the last 14 presidents whom she didn’t meet.

Here’s a look at the late queen’s history with U.S. presidents — including a few diplomatic faux pas.

'Our country’s saddest day,' former PM Boris Johnson says
Minyvonne Burke

Boris Johnson, who left office as British prime minister earlier this week, said the queen's death has left an “ache” in everyone’s hearts and a “deep and personal sense of loss” that is “far more intense, perhaps, than we expected.”

“This is our country’s saddest day,” he said in a statement Thursday. “In these first grim moments since the news, I know that millions and millions of people have been pausing whatever they have been doing, to think about Queen Elizabeth, about the bright and shining light that has finally gone out,” Johnson said.

“She seemed so timeless and so wonderful that I am afraid we had come to believe, like children, that she would just go on and on,” he said.
(Source: NBC News)

05/07/2022

Clar Marie Weah Events Hall Finally Dedicated

In the face of inadequate budgetary allocation, some agencies have chosen to make strides to help the Liberian government in the area of infrastructural development. One of such agencies is the Center for National Documents and Records Agency (CNDRA) or the National Archives of Liberia. Through a self-help initiative, the agency has succeeded in constructing a state-of-the-art events hall on its compound on 12th Street, Sinkor. The project which began in late 2020, was completed in November 2021 and got dedicated on Monday, July 4, 2022. The hall, upon construction, was named in honor of the First Lady of Liberia, Clar Marie Weah as the “Clar Marie Weah Events Hall”.

The dedicatory ceremony was attended by people from walks of life, including the general staff of the CNDRA and members of the media community.

Due to international engagements, the First Lady in whose honor the hall was named, was not present but she designated her Directors of Administration and Protocol, Mr. James K. Kortu, Jr. and Mrs. Najet Akar to represent her office at the ceremony.

Speaking on behalf of the First Lady before cutting the ribbon to consummate the dedicatory ceremony, Mr. Kortu expressed profound gratitude to the Director of the Center for National Documents & Records Agency, Hon. Emmanuel A. Lomax and his staff for constructing the hall and naming it in honor of his boss. He used the occasion to highlight some of the activities of the First lady, including the launch of the Clar Hope Foundation, which he said is a non-political initiative, aimed at assisting disadvantaged children, youth and women; as well as delivering essential educational and emergency healthcare as a universal and constitutional health-right to every Liberian citizen; the 2019 establishment of her flagship program, the "She's You" movement as a means of advancing gender equality through the promotion of women's empowerment and fight to end all forms of violence and detrimental practices against women, girls, and children. “One of the achievements of this endeavor is the construction of the home for the elderly in Grand Bassa County”, Kortu mentioned.

Continuing his remarks, the Director of Administration at the First Lady’s Office averred that through her boss’s instrumentality, 30 Liberian girls departed on July 3, 2019 for Henan Ruimei Hair Company in China to be trained in hair craft and have since returned and making contribution to the enhancement of the Liberian women’s outlook.
In conclusion, the proxy of the honoree told the attendees that Madam Clar Marie Weah recently constructed and dedicated a modern vocational training center for the Army Wives Association at the Edward Binyah Kesselly Military Barracks in Schiefflin, Margibi County on April 13, this year, amongst others.

Making a special statement at the occasion, the Director General of the National Archives also known as the Center for National Documents & Records Agency, Emmanuel A. Lomax thanked the First Lady for graciously accepting the honor of allowing the hall to be named after her. He said the hall construction project was a challenging undertaking wherein the agency had to take a loan from the bank and make several appeals to other partners to help fund the project. “In all of these, we are grateful to the First Lady for her moral and financial support to the project during implementation. However, we want to let everyone know that we still owe the bank and vendors who supplied basic materials during the construction of the hall”, DG Lomax informed.

Speaking further, he said at the impending cabinet retreat which is scheduled to place in Ganta next week, he will tell the Liberian President, H. E. George Manneh Weah that since he took over as head of the agency, he and his team have been assiduously working to transform the center by modernizing various sections, including Customer Service Center, Marriage, the Repository, Projects & Programs, amongst others. "One of my major achievements that I will show at the retreat will be this state-of-the-art hall we are dedicating today", he bragged.

DG Lomax made use of the ceremony to call on other officials of government to exhibit patriotism by undertaking initiatives to transform their areas of assignment. He concluded his statement by encouraging the public to start making good use of the hall by renting it for their different occasions.

The Center for National Documents & Records Agency or the National Archives of Liberia was established by an Act of the Liberian Legislature in 1977 and officially enacted into law in 1978. It is an agency of government mandated to provide for the preservation of public archives and public records. It also sets out condition for access to public archives, validity of documents, and prohibits the exports of historical records. In addition, it defines public records and spells out offenses and penalties for contravention of the Act.

09/05/2022

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01/05/2022

Global Bank Rejects Jurors’ Decision
…Calls for New Trial

By Paul Dolo

Legal arguments in the case involving the Management of Global Bank Liberia Limited and Kailondo Petroleum Incorporated were entertained on Thursday, April 28, at the First Judicial Circuit, Criminal Assizes “C” for Montserrado County, sitting in its February Term A. D. 2022, before His Honor, T. Ciafa Carey, Assigned Circuit Judge,. Our reporter was in court and carefully listened to the arguments.

After the legal debate, our reporter visited the headquarters of the Bank on 5th Street, Sinkor, where a senior staff of the Bank who agreed to speak to him on the basis of anonymity had this much to say:

“I am not surprised to hear that 11 out of 12 jurors agreed to have the case ruled against us. We know Kailondo to be a notorious criminal who always uses bribe to go scot free whenever he is caught in criminal webs. From a reliable source, we are told that he has been making frantic effort to bribe the jurors and the judge, but we are not convinced that Judge Carey can be easily compromised. But trust me, Kailondo will not do business as usual in this case because the preponderance of the evidence we have is overwhelming.”

When further quizzed about his take on the ruling, he emphatically intoned:

“It was a scene of disbelief and clear travesty of justice when the 11 of the 12-member jury voted to hold Global Bank guilty for “Theft of Property” and “Misapplication of Entrusted Property”, in the face of the convincing evidence that clearly shows that the Bank acted in consonance with the agreed terms and conditions of the various credit facilities availed to Kailondo Petroleum Inc..
It beats our imagination to see how the Jurors chose to agree with Kailondo and his lawyers that the Bank should have written and obtained Kailondo’s written approvals before collecting the periodic loan principal and interest installments from Kailondo’s accounts; even though the facility letter which was duly accepted and executed by George B. Kailondo, Sr., President/CEO of Kailondo Petroleum Incorporated, gave the right and authority to the bank to debit his accounts without notice to him whenever his liabilities fell due.

“For instance, no one can comprehend why the jurors would say that Kailondo’s own cheque of US$150,000 drawn on his Global Bank account, issued by George B. Kailondo himself to his GT Bank account; which subsequently got value after the Central Bank of Liberia clearing period, with a corresponding debit to his Global Bank account on which the check is drawn is considered “theft”.

“Also, that the Bank is adjudged guilty of “Theft” and “Misapplication of Entrusted Property” because in accordance with the Guarantee Facility Agreement (GFA), it used monies held in an escrow account for the purpose of paying the guarantee which gave Kailondo Petroleum Inc., petroleum products worth US$2,417,000 from SRIMEX OIL & GAS. The Bank simply paid SRIMEX OIL & GAS the US$2.417 million from the escrow account that warehoused the sales proceeds of the consignment of petroleum products secured by the Bank Guarantee it issued to SRIMEX on behalf of Kailondo Petroleum in accordance with the terms and conditions of the GFA.

“How could any group of levelheaded people who were not compromised, declare the Bank guilty of what they considered “theft” and “misapplication” by doing what is legal and in accordance with the laid down institutional policy? How could anyone who is not compromised or bought, require the Bank to pay Kailondo Petroleum Inc., another US$2,417,000 after it had paid SRIMEX, and SRIMEX through its CEO, Musa Hassan Bility, who confirmed and adduced evidence in open court that his company supplied Kailondo Petroleum Inc. the petroleum products valued at US$2,417,000, secured by a Bank Guarantee from Global Bank Liberia Limited and that the Bank honored its obligation by settling the full value of the product SRIMEX supplied Kailondo Petroleum Inc.?

“It is glaring that the jurors, except one, were all bargained; and that their verdict was not based on the pieces of evidence and testimonies adduced in court.
But this is not the end of the road; as the Bank is determined to stretch this case to any length in ensuring that justice is served beyond all reasonable doubt.”

As it stands, the Bank (Global Bank Liberia Limited) by and thru its defense counsel, comprising of some of the country’s best lawyers, has called for a new trial in the case. The counsel filed the motion for a fresh trial on Friday, April 29, a copy which is in the possession of this outlet. In said motion, the Bank's legal team dismissed all of the arguments of Kailodo’s lawyers and the jurors and prayed the Court to hear the case anew. According to legal luminaries interviewed, Global Bank reserves the right to appeal to the Supreme Court, if the new trial in the case does not meet its expectation.

To be continued as new developments unfold.

29/04/2022

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