Africa-Press – Liberia. As the joyous celebration of the festive season by occupants of thousands of households in Liberia remain uncertain as a result of severe hardship and economic constraints, President George Manneh Weah continues to flagrantly showcase his wealth to his critics and others, bothering less of the aftermath of his action in a nation where bulk of its citizens live belong less than US$1.
In 1995, President Weah won the World Best Player of the year award. He came to the Liberian Presidency in 2018 after defeating his archrivals in the 2017 general and presidential elections.
Since then, the Liberian leader has been amassing wealth one after the other with some of his supporters and government officials pointing to his earnings during his footballing days as one of the main sources of his wealth.
Several photographs of President Weah showcasing a customized slingshot popped on the social media during the early evening hours of Wednesday, December 15.
A slingshot is a three-wheeled sensation that reignites ones love for driving. It is classified as an Autocycle. The price of the slingshot is about US$26,000. But President Weah may have spent additionally to have it customized with his middle name “Manneh”. The Liberian Chief Executive was seen inspecting and taking a ride in the slingshot at his condominiums in Thinker’s Village, outside Monrovia.
Reactions
The photos of the President’s new slingshot went viral on the social media minutes after being posted. It has been greeted with mixed reactions, with scores of Liberians criticizing the decision taken by those around the presidency to allow those photos to be taken and posted on the social media during these difficult times.
In some comments to react to the photos of President Weah and his new slingshot, Liberians reacted with sad or crying emojis to show their displeasure.
Emmanuel Kumeh Wreh Farr: “He’s living the life he didn’t live when he was football millionaire. Liberian people will learn the hard way”. Youjay Debah: “Liberians Christmas will be good as we can see it from the eve”.
“He went broke, came back to become President and rescue himself from poverty. He became President bang! new mansion ; reason why he shamelessly refuse to publish his assets”, Drew Wallis noted.
William Kollie stated: “Mr. President, there are certain lifestyle you deprived yourself of especially when the ordinary people are going to bed without a fitting meal. This advice is important for you because, it will be seen like you are putting yourself ahead of them particularly in this struggling economy”.
“89 million from soccer he couldn’t live this kind of life, but can live life to the fullest at the expense of the suffering masses. This too is Liberia, a country where nothing called accountability matters. State resources and taxpayers dollars can be used any how”, Chrisco Baimba Massaley stated.
“I see why the 4M cannot come outside since last month. Chey..”, Varlington Karpennoh states. On the other hand, few citizens believed that President Weah did nothing wrong for satisfying his pleasure during this festive season.
Esiaka Sekou Jabateh: “His name on the tires, check there too. Who na like better thing? Ur allow the man to be great mehn..” Fannie Abasi writes: “Wow! This is so beautiful. Merry Christmas my black president. Ur Christmas gift is giving them heart attack. Congratulations on the gift again”.
Report of the slingshot being gifted to President Weah by his son Timothy Tarpeh Weah is scanty as Deputy Presidential Press Secretary Smith Toby promised to provide the details upon hearing from the Liberian leader today.
Tim is an American professional soccer player who plays as a forward for French Ligue 1 club Lille and the United States national team. This is not the first time for President Weah to come in the public glare flaunting his wealth, or some of his supporters or government officials releasing his multiple properties to the public. He has been accused by his political opponents of amassing ill-gotten wealth, but the Executive Mansion has denied.
Plane saga
Few weeks after his ascendancy to the presidency, the Liberian leader was accused by his critics of using tax payers’ monies to purchase a private jet.
But the President at the time clarified that the jet was given to him by his ‘wealthy Burkinabe friend’ to boost his morale after he had won the elections.
President Weah said: “The airplane issue is causing problem. We don’t have a bus; how will we buy a $30 million plane? Where do they get this kind of news from? It is not possible for us to buy a plane for $30 million; we are just coming to office”.
He continued: “The airplane they are talking about is for my friend, who is the manager of a big company in Burkina Faso. He told me to use it anytime I want to travel because he has seen me use planes owned by Ivory Coast and others. He wants me use a plane that is not labeled to boost my moral, too”.
Following the claims made by the President, FrontPageAfrica launched a painstaking investigation and established that the mystery wealthy Burkinabè businessman, who President Weah did not name, was one Mahamadou Bonkoungou, CEO of EBOMAF, a construction company in Burkina Faso.
The government signed a US$420M agreement with the Burkinabe company for the construction, and supervision of road corridors in Monrovia (Somalia Drive-Kesselly Boulevard to Sinkor) and northeastern Liberia – Tappita-Zwedru Raod, including Toe Town to La Cote D’Ivoire and Zwedru-Greenville.
But since the agreement was ratified by the National Legislature, nothing has been substantively heard about it. President Weah came under strong criticism again as civil society actors, critics and others began to question the rationale behind his decision taken to accept a jet from his friend, barely few months before the EBOMAF deal appeared before the National Legislature.
Though it remain unclear whether or not George Manneh Weah purchased the plane from his ‘wealthy Burkinabe friend’ or not, he continues to use the jet to fly out of Liberia.
Construction of duplexes
Barely a month after he was sworn into office, President Weah commenced the construction of a multi-million-dollar complex in the Baptist Seminary community, off the Robertsfield Highway. It comprises of 41 duplexes. The project, which has been completed, raised eyebrows with many Liberians still wondering how it was funded.
Though his supporters and some government officials justified that the duplexes were constructed to accommodate struggling or less fortunate Liberian citizens with the President’s own money, there is no record to show that those duplexes have been occupied by these people.
Demolished US$150,000 residence for a palace
In early 2020, the President ordered the demolition of his US$150,000 9th Street beachside property for the construction of a palace, while at the same time renovating the Jamaica Beach property and building the RIA Highway complex simultaneously.
Deputy Presidential Press Secretary Smith Toby justified that the property was transferred and it’s now owned by the President’s son Timothy Weah who plays professional football.
“I think to convince you further, we’ll get the transfer documents transferring that property that was demolished – remember that building was demolished and remolded by the current head of the property, so we need now to give you further clarity on it by giving you those transfer documents because that property is no longer in the name of the President.”
Less than 24 hours, Mr. Smith was compelled to backpedal over his previous comments following barrage of public outcries and insinuations suggesting that the Liberian leader was allegedly transferring his alleged ill-gotten wealth to his children and other family members.
Toby stated: “If our information weren’t correct around that particular claim, now he’s [Pres. Weah] come back to tell us the information you put out isn’t correct, you need to correct the information and let the people know that, it’s my property, it has no attachment with my son.Toby further stressed: “I’m doing an erratum that the previous information on that property wasn’t the factual information; the fact of the matter currently confirmed by the President is that property belongs to him and not his son.”
But sources closed to the presidency confided in FrontPage Africa that the clarification was made by Toby following a demand from First Lady Clar Weah after her son, Timothy, complained that his link to his father’s properties in Liberia could lead him into trouble with the United States government.
Article 22 of the Constitution of Liberia forbids non-Liberians from acquiring real properties. It states: “Every person shall have the right to own property alone as well as in association with others; provided that only Liberian citizens shall have the right to own real property within the Republic.”
There are reports that the 9th street palace worth about US$3M. President Weah also constructed the state-of-the-art Forky Klon Jlaleh Family Fellowship church, along with a theatre, and recording studio.
Declaration of assets
President Weah is yet to openly declare his assets and have it published since he was sworn into office. Opposition politicians, civil society actors and others have pressurized him to openly declare his assets to promote accountability and transparency, but he has failed to do so. The Liberian leader has persistently justified that his assets remain his privacy and there is no law on the book that mandates him to do so.
“I have kids and families to protect. So, I gave them access to all my banks, so they have to protect me. Information about my assets cannot be made public. For those government officials who have not yet declared their assets, I have told them to do so because they have to abide by the law,” he told the BBC in February 2019.
In his 2014
asset declaration forms filed with the National Elections Commission (NEC), President Weah declared his 9th Street property, worth US$150,000, the Rehab structure valued US$100,000. The Miami, Florida property – US$1.4 million while the other property in Florida was put at US$900,000.00.
He further declared at the time that he earned US$200,000 over a period of 12 months (July, 2013 to June 2014) from his real estate in the United States.
In a 2016-17 child support case brought by Mannete A. Gono against Weah in the United States, Weah, then Senator of Montserrado County told the U.S. Court that he earned only US$1,090 as Senator. He, therefore, insisted that he could only afford US$160 as monthly child support fee. He added that he had two other minors born in 2000 and 2012. The only savings mentioned in that declaration was US$50,000 in Chase Bank in the U.S.
The sticky issues
There has been mounting public concerns over the sources of funding of the President’s projects and his properties. His critics and political opponents have accused him of lavish spending and amassing wealth to the detriment of the citizenry. But his officials, particularly Finance and Development Planning Minister Samuel Weah, are on record for defending the President’s wealth.
Citizens have raised multiple questions on why the Liberian leader claimed to have play for millions of United States dollars during his footballing days didn’t muster the courage to acquire decent properties, but had to wait to excel to the Liberian presidency before purchasing or taking steps to either build duplexes or demolish his previous properties owned in the past to construct better ones.
Some believed that the consistent show of wealth, including “swags” by President Weah, who has been nicknamed “the swag killer” by many of his supporters for matching his wearing-is intended to mock his critics and the struggling masses.
They feel that the move by the Liberian leader to only concentrate on his wellbeing and happiness shows that he is allegedly insensitive to their plights. Others believed that the Liberia leader owes no one apology for acquiring properties and showcasing in the public.
The unrestrictive manner and form in which photographs of the President merrymaking or engaging into extra activities, including swimming in the ocean during his leisure take to the social media remains an issue of concern for many citizens.
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