Africa-Press – Liberia. The House of Representatives has summoned the Executive Director of the National Identification Registry to testify following revelations that he issues the national identification card freely to people in Maryland County.
The summon, according to the House, is intended to allow John Tiah Nagbe to respond to the legality of the accusation level against him by Maryland County District #3 Representative, Isaac Roland. Nagbe’s appearance, which is today, comes nearly three weeks after he had rejected claims that his administration was issuing foreign nationals’ citizen ID cards, instead of “resident ID cards”.
It has been alleged that Nagbe’s action is intended to boost his candidacy for the Maryland County Senatorial Seat in the 2023 elections. Of late, he had been rallying Marylanders to see him as the only alternative that can change the county.
“Marylanders, you have seen what has come to you in those years, if you will stay here and elect some of these same people to power, who have not done anything for the county, blame yourself,” Nagbe said in April while visiting the county and interacting with its people. “Because our vision is to transform the lives of the citizens and the future generations of the county. So, if you give me power, I will join the other CDC lawmakers to move the county to where we all want it to be.”
But for his accuser, his action to issue free citizen ID cards is not just denying the government of lawful revenue but also unlawful and unnecessary.
“The NIR cannot continue to cry for low budgetary support while its executive director is at the same time issuing free national ID cards,” Roland argued. “It is unacceptable for Nagbe to be appealing to the Legislature for full support in the National Budget and he is issuing thousands of national ID cards to people, free of charge.
“This act of his will not only cause the government to lose thousands of United States Dollars in revenue, but it also has the propensity to render the NIR paralyzed in its mandates as well as cause our national ID cards to end up in the hands of foreigners.”
Roland’s complaint was then voted on by members of the House, citing the need for Nagbe to appear and give testimony on the record since the accusation is too strong to be ignored.
Meanwhile, the House’s next move will be determined based on the outcome of Nagbe’s testimony. During his last House appearance on June 28, the House ended up voting to have an Adhoc Committee do investigate the issue of the alleged national ID card syndicate in the Jacob Town Community at Japan Freeway.
Nagbe confirmed the act but blamed it on an employee who was assigned in Margibi County for engaging in the unauthorized attempt of issuing Citizen ID Cards to residents of the community.
However, he said that the employee was arrested and investigated by officers of the Liberia National Police who, thereafter, recommended administrative action, not criminality. The incident occurred in 2020. Nagbe was summoned then as a result of a complaint from Montserrado County District #2 Representative Jimmy Smith, who alleged that the entity’s IT Analyst was seen printing National ID Cards in the compound of a local clinic.
Smith’s complaint described the printing of the ID cards as a criminal syndicate, while claiming that 23 cards were found in the possession of the said employee.
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