Africa-Press – Liberia. Nimba County Electoral District 7 Representative Musa Hassan Bility has thrown out an open challenge to President Joseph Boakai and Vice President Jeremiah Koung as he claims his level of transparency and accountability is undisputedly beyond their reach.
Despite his past being surrounded by claims and counter-claims and at times, conviction over corruption, Rep. Bility, who is also the political leader of the newly established political party – Citizens Movement for Change (CMC), claimed that ‘he is the only politician in Liberia to have publicly declared his assets through newspaper publication’, challenging what he described as a culture of secrecy among senior government officials.
Back in 2012, Rep. Bility, owner and CEO of SCRIMEX Enterprise, was indicted for defrauding the government of U$350,000, as the government claimed that its evidence against his company was overwhelming for indictment.
Rep. Bility then admitted owing U$180,000 in taxes to the government and not U$350,910 as claimed by state prosecutors. Several defense witnesses including his son Sidiki Bility denied government’s claims that SCRIMEX defrauded it of U$350,000 in taxes.
Furthermore – barely seven years later, the Federation of International Football Association (Fifa) in 2019 banned Bility, a then Confederation of African Football (Caf) executive committee member, for 10 years and fined him $500,000 for breaching its code of ethics.
Football’s world governing body took the decision after finding the former Liberia FA (LFA) president “guilty of misappropriating Fifa funds, as well as having received benefits and found himself in situations of conflict of interest”.
However, speaking when he appeared on local talk show on Smile FM in Grand Gedeh on late Saturday evening, while on a tour of that county, the same Bility pointed out that while the President, Vice President, and other public officials have reportedly submitted asset declarations to the Liberia Anti-Corruption Commission (LACC), most have failed to make those declarations available to the public as required by law.
“I am the only politician in Liberia who has declared his assets publicly. The President, the Vice President – none of them have published their assets in the newspapers. I did,” told the Grand Gedeh County-based station.
Rep. Bility indicated that his published declaration sets him apart from other politicians including the President and his Vice as this clearly outlines the sources of his income, which he said come from legitimate businesses operating within Liberia.
He noted that his wealth is derived largely from the importation and sale of petroleum products, including cooking gas and fuel.
“When you buy gas, you are giving me profit,” he said. “And I take some of that profit and give it back to the people. That is how I make my living.”
According to Rep. Bility, more than 80 percent of lawmakers have not publicly disclosed their assets, making it difficult for citizens to assess the financial integrity of elected officials.
He contended that his openness allows the public to verify how he earns his money and ensures accountability.
Rep. Bility also criticized what he described as double standards in public scrutiny, questioning why Liberians who build wealth locally are often targeted, while foreigners who accumulate property and businesses in the country face little questioning.
“It is not a crime for a Liberian to make a living in Liberia. I did not make my money in America or Europe. I made it here.” Liberian law requires public officials to declare their assets to the LACC, but enforcement of public disclosure provisions has not been clear regarding local media publication – especially in local dailies.
Few politicians including Montserrado County Senator, Abraham Darius Dillon, former Grand Cape Mount County Senator Varney Sherman notable names that have gone beyond declaration before the LACC to publication in local dailies.
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