Mr. Yacoub El Hillo
The United Nations Resident Coordinator to Liberia, Yacoub El Hillo has cautioned Liberians, especially those who took to the streets recently to protest over rumors that huge sum of Liberians dollars had reportedly disappeared.
Speaking Monday, September 24, 2018 at the United Nations Headquarters in Monrovia, when the protesters petitioned the UN to assist with investigation surrounding the reported disappearance of some Liberian dollars banknotes, Mr. Hillo cautioned the protesters to be very patient and allow the government investigates the matter.
"I suggest you give time for the investigation and give time for thing to happen and then if the facts come out and they bear satisfactory, well and good, if they are not satisfactory as prescribed in the Constitution of Liberia, you have the right to peaceful assembly and to petition. So wait until the facts are out and hopefully they will be satisfactory; otherwise the Constitution gives you that guarantee that you can make your opinion across peacefully as you have done today," he indicated.
The UN Resident Coordinator who worked in Liberia in the 1990s, during Liberia's dark days, said he was pleased that the protesters were able to peacefully conduct themselves.
He reminded them of the need to continuously work to ensure that the peace is sustained.
Regarding assisting the government to probe news about the alleged disappearance of the money, Mr. Hillo said, the UN will work closely with the government to ensure the matter is fully investigated.
"On behalf of the organizations that we represent, the ECOWAS, the African Union and the United Nations, is to engage with the government of Liberia and to convey... the concerns but also to work with the government of Liberian so that this process of facts finding is concluded quickly as possible and of course the ownership and leadership of the people and government of Liberia. So that commitment we give right here," he noted.
Few individuals took to the streets calling on the international community to help government probe the matter.
In a related development, the United States Embassy near Monrovia has acknowledged receipt of a request from the Liberian government to probe issue surrounding the alleged disappearance of some Liberians dollars.
In a brief statement the embassy said; "earlier today, the U.S Embassy received a petition from groups concerned about transparency regarding newly-printed Liberian banknotes. The Embassy confirms that on Thursday, September 19, it received a request from the Government of Liberia for assistance in tracing new Liberian banknotes. The request for assistance was transmitted to the relevant U.S. government agencies in Washington for further review."
Already, the government is seeking assistance from the international community to thoroughly investigate the total amount of money printed overseas and brought into the country, as well as trying to ascertain if the Central Bank of Liberia can give account of the entire money brought into the country.
The Government of Liberia has indicated that at the moment, it cannot say whether or not money was actually missing until the investigation is concluded.
The investigation will also focus on the alleged L$16billion which was printed and brought into country. The investigation will establish how much of that money is at the Central Bank vault, how much was transfer to commercial banks, and how much was infused into the economy.
At the end of the investigation, if the CBL cannot give full account of the entire money printed from 2016 to present, then the government will be in a perfect position to know exactly if any money was missing or not.
