Some Liberians especially those working with the National Legislature taught that the then Aide to former House Speaker, Abraham Darius Dillon would have been silent by now after the House Plenary found him guilty of contempt, and placed him in common jail at the Monrovia Central Prison where he spent four days before he been released from detention.

Mr. Dillon was released when his lawyer made a presentation to the Honorable Supreme Court informing the country’s highest court that his client was illegally detained and he was not accorded the necessary due process, something the Supreme Court ruled in favor of Dillon against the House of Representatives.

Contrary to the beliefs of those Liberians, Mr. A. Darius Dillon who now works in the office of Bong County Senior Senator, Jewel Howard Taylor has again taken the judiciary committee investigating the bribery allegation to task indicating that the committee and the House Plenary lacked the moral credentials to further proceed with the investigation.

The former Speaker’s Aide told legislative reporters at the Capitol yesterday that bribery is a felonious crime for which the President and the Vice President if found guilty of could be impeached, something he said members of the House of Representatives were not cognizant of, and were joking with said matter.

The Bong County Senior Senator Chief of Office Staff said bribery according to the Liberia’s panel code and the 1986 constitution is a crime that should be investigated by the Ministry of Justice.

He maintained that based on the consistent refusal of the House to allow independent team to conduct the alleged House bribery allegation, he has reached a logical and constitution decision to file a rate of injunction to the Supreme Court to stop the proceeding.

He told legislative reporters that he will file the stay order to the Supreme Court by next week on grounds that the committee and the House Plenary lacked the legal jurisdiction to handle the case, and is calling on the Justice Ministry to invite those accused lawmakers for the alleged criminal acts.

Members of the Lower House had argued that the constitution gave them the power to adopt their own rules, and that their standing rules mandate the Judiciary Committee to investigate both civil and criminal matters of which the issue of bribery is of no exception.

But Mr. Dillon continues to be harsh on the matter, as he and other international bodies including the U.S. Ambassador, Donald Booth, the International Contact Group on Liberia (ICGL) and several human rights and civil society institutions have opposed the House investigating itself, and proposed that independent bodies be set up to probe the allegation.

Besides, threatening to put a stay order on the investigation, Mr. Dillon has indicated that he was disappointed on the slow place the Judiciary Committee was taking to the investigate the allegation, and squarely placed the slow pace as the lawmakers’ ploy to shy away from justice.

What is most surprising in the investigation, Darius Dillon indicated that the Judiciary Committee has deliberately refused to set a time frame of how long the committee will take to probe the matter to a logical conclusion so that the Liberian people would be able to know the true story of the bribery allegation.

It can be recalled that in 2007, the former speaker, Edwin Snowe accused some 46 members of the House of Representatives who signed the Ten Count Resolution to remove him as speaker of the Honorable House of receiving US$5,000.00 each as bribe to dethrone him.

He has since his presented evidence to the House Judiciary Committee in which he said four of his colleagues, Bong County Lawmaker, Samuel Bono, Montserrado County Lawmaker, Dr. Ketterkumeh Murrah, Richard Saah Gbollie of Margibi and Rufus Gbier of Grand Gedeh of admitting of receiving bribe to unseat him.

Dillon fell in trouble with the House when he accused the Judiciary Committee of plotting to expel Edwin Snowe from the House in connection with the bribery allegation, his assertion, plenary said has the propensity to undermine the investigation.

MCC Council Chair Wants Renewal, Development Plan

A onetime Mayor of the city of Monrovia, now chairman of the Monrovia City Corporation (MCC), Daniel G. Johnson has called for the establishment of what he calls a “10-year renewal and redevelopment master plan” for the city of Monrovia.

The Council said Chairman Johnson wants the approval of his plans to conduct the hiring of a competent and experienced Consultancy firm. He said that the responsibility of the consultancy firm will be to carryout urban planning and management that will oversee the development of a two-year Monrovia City Renewal and Redevelopment Master Plan.

Pinpointing the usefulness of the plan, he said that it will focus on sustainable City Budget Restructuring and Revenue Growth. He did not however define the words. He also said that additional services will follow Human Settlement, Environmental Health as well as City Infrastructure, Economic and Business Development and Tourism advancement.

Speaking at the Duala Market which he toured for acquaintanceship with problems of the market facility and to assess situations described what he calls “the increasing problems of marketing displacement, congestion and waste management crisis”.

After discussions with the Madam Hajah F, Sheriff, superintendent of the Duala Market,  Mr.. Johnson told reporters that in the wake of the ever increasing complexity of socio-economic and environmental problems imposed on the limited infrastructure of the City by the Liberian.

Crisis, that the city of Monrovia needs a more dynamic and innovative City Council and City Management Team that must take on the nature of a "Task Force" with a Pro-active, hands-on and boots-on-the-frontline approach in tackling the challenges of the City.
Mr. Johnson also visited Waterside and the unfinished Housing Bank Building on Ashmun Street. .

Mr. Johnson, who once served as Mayor of Monrovia, says the leadership he brings to the City Council intends to move quickly in capitalizing on the enormous international goodwill generated by the credible leadership of Pres. Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf to seek international assistance in mobilizing logistics and expertise to support the work of the City Management Team.

Mr. Johnson thanked the World Bank, the United Nations and all local and International partners that are providing support to City Hall in dealing with the garbage crisis and other problems confronting the City.

He thanked Pres. Johnson-Sirleaf for the confidence reposed in him and vowed to do his best in helping to restore the dignity of Liberia's Capital City.

Norwegian Refugees Council Sues Employee
Accuses Him of Stealing US$95,000.00
By George J. Borteh

Norwegian Refugees Council (NRC), has taken one of its employees identified as Emmanuel D. Roberts to the Monrovia City Court for allegedly failing to account for US$59,000.00.

Emmanuel D. Roberts who was serving as finance and administrative assistant for said entity was arrested by state security on February 3, 2008 based on a complaint forwarded by Madam Lorna Adhimba Aling, Finance and administrative Manager of the NRC.

An audit also conducted at the leeward NRC branch in Bomi County, has indicted the 36-year old Liberian.

According to police investigation, the accused Roberts), US$68,000 was given to him in consonance with his job description and NRC project policy in December 2007, again in January 2008 he received US$76,000.00 and remitted into his mini cash and then received US$10,000.00 totaling to US$154,034.00.

But the defendant could account for the amount of US$95,030.00 rather the total amount of US$154.030 given to him. Defendant Roberts could not up to present say whether he is prepared to reveal to the court what actually happened to the money in question. The defendant is awaiting court procedure.