Africa-Press – Liberia. Story behind the perpetual non-payment of social development funds by the mining firm, China-Union Investment (Liberia) Bong Mines Co. Ltd appears to be deeper than imagined, as an independent investigation traces default by the company to waiver from the county’s caucus.
A NEW DAWN investigation has discovered that Margibi Legislative Caucus from the former 54th Legislature waived social development funds owed by China-Union Investment (Liberia) Bong Mines Co. Ltd for several years, contrary to the company’s recent statement that it owes the Government of Liberia social corporate funds for eight (8) years.
The caucus was seriously criticized by stakeholders in the county in 2023 when the decision was taken under the leadership of former Representative Ben A. Fofana of Margibi District#4.
The company’s Public Relations Officer Morris Tate, recently disclosed in Kakata, Margibi County at a dedicatory ceremony for yellow machine saying, “As I speak to you guys, China Union, for the past eight years, we have not been working. We have not been doing anything. Even our social corporate responsibility with the counties, we have not been doing that, we have not been giving it.”
According to Mr. Tate, Margibi County District#4 and Bong County District#7 Lawmakers have pressurized China Union to the extent that the company will now pay its social development funds meant for eight years.
But far from his statement, this paper discovered that the Margibi County Legislative Caucus through its former chairman, Ben A. Fofana, in 2023 waived a very huge percent of the social funds for years on grounds that the company had not been operating.
In 2023, the company paid US$1M in Margibi’s name to central government, instead of US$4.5M or more. China Union is supposed to pay US$750,000 annually to the county for its operations there.
But this amount was never paid for nearly six years, thus a calculation of the total social funds owed will sum to more than US$1M.
It is alleged that the company had provided huge kickbacks to lawmakers from the county to favor the waiver.
At that time, it was publicly noted that current Senator Nathaniel McGill (then Minister of State for Presidential Affairs) used his influence during the Weah administration to make the Ministry of Finance halt remittance to the county, claiming that the lawmakers wanted to use the money for campaign.
Bong and Montserrado Counties through their respective caucuses are believed to have similarly followed suit, waiving certain amounts to the company in exchange for kickbacks.
Currently, China Union says about 80 percent of its operations is in Margibi. This was also recently disclosed by its PRO Morris Tate in Kakata.
Some Margibians say it is disheartening that the company will come to give an impression of getting ready to pay social development funds owed for several years when in fact, it had an agreement with the caucuses of the counties, regarding its obligation.
They note that the company’s action is a mockery, not only to the people of Margibi, but to Liberians generally.
China-Union Investment (Liberia) Bong Mines Co. Ltd is a subsidiary of China-Union (Hong Kong) Mining Co., Ltd., a corporation with head offices in Hong Kong, having the legal entities China Africa Development Fund Co., Ltd as shareholders.
Source: Liberia news The New Dawn Liberia,
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