Liberian News: No Internal Fighting At LACRA

Monrovia– Investigation conducted by this paper has uncovered that recent news publication about what appears to be internal fighting at LACRA is a tactic sponsored by the entity’s Deputy Director General for Operations and Technical Services Godia AphaKortu Gongolee to spread a seed of discord within and bring the entity to public disrepute.

The Liberia Agriculture Commodity Regulatory Authority (LACRA) formally LPMC is an Agency of government established by an act of the National Legislature to regulate the export of all agriculture commodities with a particular focus on cocoa, coffee and palm oil.

The entity was somehow dormant during the past regime, but the new administration has taking charge to implement all regulatory frameworks ensuring quality control, fair practices, and transparency within the value chain.

But it seems, all these efforts are being undermined by the Deputy Director General for Operations and Technical Services Godia Apha Kortu Gongolee who has attempted to run a parallel LACRA.

According to our investigation, he has gotten increasingly displeased in recent days because the Director General set up a taskforce that has been arresting cocoa containers, he Gongoleehas personally been authorizing to be shipped without paying to LACRA’s account royalty fees.

Before an exporter makes any shipment, said exporter must apply to LACRA indicating the tons and the grade of cocoa he wants to ship and then LACRA will provide bill for said exporter to pay to its account.

But in recent time, Director Gongolee has been conniving with some exporters to dupe the system. He has allegedly been receiving money on-half of the entity from exporters allowing them to ship without making payments to LACRA and putting said money into his pocket defrauding the entity of needed revenue. On more than two occasions, he has been caught receiving money on behalf of exporters, an action that violates the act that created the Liberia Agriculture Commodity Regulatory Authority.

He has apologized before the board chair and the senior management team for his actions on numerous occasions but he’s still involved with the same act. This man has openly disrespected the DG on numerous occasions for exercising his power as DG.

According to our investigation, he’s inciting some employees in his department against the DG, he’s working with ZENO Group of companies-an exporting firm that is sponsoring the recent media campaign against the entity, he’s putting employees against each other, and is boasting that one Morine who is the President’s Special Assistant is backing him in this fight.