Africa-Press – Liberia. The Deputy Executive Director for Administration of the National Disaster Management Agency (NDMA) Ahmed S. Sheriff, has been accused by the current president of the Cape Mountaineers in the Americas (NACA), Emmanuel K. Massaquoi for misappropriation of US $12,350 from the organization’s coffers.
Mr. Sheriff served as the president of the organization from 2016 to 2018 until he was appointed by President George M. Weah as Deputy Executive Director of the NDMA. He denied the allegations, terming it as baseless and untrue.
NACA which was founded 19 years ago, is a non-for-profit organization in the City of Staten Island New York, and it has been registered with No. 501C(3) Status under the Internal Treasury Revenue Service of the U.S Department of Treasury.
Speaking to Journalists via mobile phone from the United States, the current president, Massaquoi accused the Sheriff’s administration of running the organization for two years without financial reports to the national executive committee.
Massaquoi has called on the Ministry that oversees the National Disaster Management Agency to intervene as well as colleagues and stakeholders of the County.
Massaquoi disclosed that during the two-year tenure of the Sheriff’s administration, there were no proposals sent to the NACA Board for approval; neither were there projects undertaken by NACA in Grand Cape Mount County; stressing that all of the money withdrawn from the organization’s account was unauthorized.
Massaquoi alleged that the NDMA Deputy Executive Director withdrew additional US$5000 from the institution’s account near the end of his tenure, but they retrieved said amounts through the assistance of Grand Cape Mount County’s Senator, Varney Sherman and the late Senator, Edward Dagoseh.
According to Massaquoi, following the two years tenure of Sheriff’s administration, an intensive investigative audit was carried on by the Board of Directors of the organization which discovered the misappropriation of US$12,350 from the organization’s account.
NACA’s president who was inducted into office on October 6, 2018, said as per the constitution, all transactions from the former administration ceased as of the installment of the new core of officers, and a transition process of documents was brought into motion by the new officials.
He revealed that there were no documents from the previous administration to the new administration, disclosing that at the end of the Sheriff’s administration, two withdrawals were made that were unaccounted for.
He further alleged that records reflected that Sheriff took US$850 on the day of the induction exercise and US$ 1,500.00 on October 11, 2018 from the organization’s account without approval.
According to him, those funds which were unaccounted for could have been used to undertake important developmental projects within the county which could improve the livelihoods of citizens.
He disclosed that the board or directors of the organization has made a private visit to Sheriff in Liberia to discuss issue regarding the missing funds but their effort did not materialize as Sheriff did not make himself available.
He said: “This is the amount that the past administration of Mr. Ahmed Sheriff owes the NACA and by extension to the people of Grand Cape Mount County. We are asking Mr. Sheriff and his administration to give an account of the US$12,350. If indeed Mr. Sheriff used the funds for the projects in Grand Cape Mount County, then he is encouraged to furnish documents or evidence of such to the Board of Directors of NACA.”
“We have worked behind the scenes, worked with our Senators and stakeholders of the County but to no avail. We’ve opened various lines of communication with Mr. Sheriff through emails, text messages, phone calls but Mr. Sheriff had insisted that he does not owed NACA any money.”
I Don’t Owe NACA
When contacted via mobile phone over the weekend, Sheriff refuted the allegations levied against him by the organization, stating that the organization was in debt when he took over as president.
According to Sheriff, the organization has never had US$12,350 in its coffers. Sheriff disclosed that during the organization’s first convention, it was the first time in many years that they were able generate US$ 7,000 from zero balance.
Sheriff accused the current leadership of wanting to get the hands of NACA’s money in order to use it anyhow. According to him, the organization was raided by fraud under his leadership; adding “What we did was to drain the swam and because of that, they are going against me with lies that I used the organization money with no accountability.”
“I can tell you that no such amount existed as they claimed. There is no US$ 10,000 or any amount that I took from NACA. I took over NACA in October of 2016 with zero balance in the coffers. I lived very well and I lived within my means. Ask anybody, I don’t owed people even if you go to the bank I don’t owed people. I have worked throughout my life and it hurts to see people spoiling my character. It is really unfortunate while people go this low because they think it is something for a political game.”
Sheriff encouraged the leadership of NACA go to court to prove if the allegations levied against him is truth. He denied that the organization is registered in the United States.
“I don’t owe NACA any money. In the first place, how do I pay for the money that I do not know anything about? This is a complete nuisance. Let’s us go to court and know who is telling the truth. The records are there. Can you imagine that NACA is not a registered as a bonafide organization in the state? NACA is now being marked by fraud and politics.”
Brief history
NACA was founded by the descendants and friends of Grand Cape Mount County residing in the United States of America. Their purpose is to assist citizens and the county in area of healthcare, education, infrastructure and advocacy, among others.
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