Africa-Press – Liberia. A senior official from the Human Resources Department of ArcelorMittal Liberia has been charged with theft and criminal conspiracy for alleged extortion from job seekers.
The accused, Cyrus P. Yini, who is said to be responsible for recruitment, along with two accomplices, Jeremiah Johnson, and Cyrus Joeweah (both job seekers), reportedly collected US$15,170 from 44 individuals who were also seeking employment opportunities. The syndicate was busted by the Crime Services Department of the Nimba County Police Detachment.
Joeweah, initially a victim who later became an accomplice, recounted that he had been directed to the HR office after seeking a teaching job at the AML Training Center.
Joeweah told the police that when he arrived in Yekepa from Buchanan to seek a teaching job at the AML Training Center, he was told the principal referred him to the HR office.
He explained that when he got to the HR office; he met the senior HR Officer, Yini, who also told him that all Recruitment Processes can be done online.
Allegedly, he was asked to pay a sum of US$400 for enrollment in an ADT training program, with promises of a monthly stipend and potential employment with the company upon completion.
“Cyrus P. Yini encouraged me that there is a monthly stipend of US$300 for the ADT trainees and upon the completion of the training, the trainee will be employed by AML,” Joeweah is quoted as saying. “Cyrus Yini told me the only way I can get such an opportunity is to pay the sum of US$400.”
He said upon the discussion; he went home and told his mother, who along with him the next day, carried US$1,000 to Yini as payments for three persons. “My mother was not allowed to enter the HR office when we took the money there,” Joeweah is said to have narrated.
Subsequent to the initial transaction, additional job seekers were recruited through cash payments as instructed by the accused HR staff. Investigations revealed that the money collected was transferred through mobile money to undisclosed numbers, with involvement suspected from a close associate within the HR system.
Police revealed that as Yini and his accomplices collected the money, they transferred it through mobile money to prescribed numbers, but none of the numbers were said to belong to Cyrus P. Yini.
Though police investigation couldn’t establish ownership of the numbers, a close friend of Yini within the HR system, identified as Johnny Dorgbor, was among those whose mobile money numbers reportedly received the money.
When the AML’s Communication Department was contacted, the Manager said that the company was following the ongoing police investigation relating to bribery and fraud in exchange for jobs with the organization.
He said two employees are currently being investigated and are cooperating fully with the investigation, but refused to reveal their names.
“ArcelorMittal does not accept any forms of payment in exchange for employment opportunities with the organization,” the manager said via text message last month. “Any prospective employee is strictly required to follow our recruitment processes. AML has zero tolerance for all forms of bribery and fraud and the management will act decisively on the findings of the police investigation.
AML, early this year, made public a series of vacancies, where hundreds of young Liberians rushed to Yekepa with applications to take advantage of the opportunity. But, prior to arrest, news began to circulate that the recruitment process was not free; fees of US$300–US$400 were required before anyone could be recruited.
ArcelorMittal Liberia has acknowledged the ongoing police investigation into bribery and fraud allegations related to job offers within the organization. The company emphasized its adherence to strict recruitment processes and its commitment to zero tolerance for bribery and fraud.
The authorities are currently investigating the matter, and the management of ArcelorMittal Liberia has pledged to act decisively based on the investigation’s outcomes.
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