 |
| Kpaan said she controlled no county money |
If members of the Montserrado County Legislative Caucus had reasons for considering their erstwhile (former) co-worker and now-retired Superintendent of Montserrado County, Grace Kpaan, a spoiler, they might have to start thinking about some other things to call her, should they decide to start listening to the new tunes she has been singing lately.
In an exclusive interview with this newspaper on Tuesday this week, Ms. Kpaan assumed a ‘bare-it-all” (I will open my guts) stance (posture, position) and began clearing her chest of other elements of her recorded conversations and exchanges with Montserrado County district#16 Rep. Edward Forh.
Her latest revelations highlight what Ms. Kpaan referred to as the “deliberate cancellation of projects to satisfy their own individual interests, of projects already approved for the people of Lower Montserrado County by legislators.”
Continuing, she disclosed that “school and clinic projects for Cheesemanburg, Todee and Royesville, among many others, were cancelled by the county’s legislators, because they needed the money allotted for the execution of those projects---for themselves.”
“It takes residents of Cheesemanburg six hours to carry their sick ones in wheelbarrows to Duala to access medical care. It takes pupils four to five hours to walk from Royesville to Duala to attend school. So why cancel such critical projects?” Kpaan asked rhetorically (symbolically, a question that requires no answer).
 |
| Kpaan: "They only wanted the money for themselves" |
“In June, we convened the county council meeting which normally brings together all the community people for us to tell them what we have in the budget for them, so that they can tell us which projects they want. We had this meeting in June but it took three months for the resolution from that meeting to come. Forh kept the resolution until Sept 11, 2012, before he showed up with it. Why? He gave the resolution, travelled and didn’t come until the end of November. The whole meeting was twisted in a different direction,” she explained.
“The money for development projects in Lower Montserrado was brought to the county council meeting and divided in 17 parts. The US$2.5 million already approved for the implementation of critical projects in Lower Montserrado County was split into 17 parts. And that should not have been done. The US$393,000, US$2.5 million plus the US$200,000 should have been brought together to amount to US$2.9 million---monies from the county development funds and the social development funds.”
Of course, Montserrado County district#16 Rep. Forh has already contested that figure. He argued that the money did not amount to US$2.9 million, but totaled US$2.5 million. Rep. Forh has since called for an immediate audit by the General Auditing Commission (GAC). He has also called on the Liberia Anti-Corruption Commission (LACC) to launch a probe into the controversial US$400,000 difference.
It may be recalled that the former superintendent and her former colleagues from the Montserrado County Legislative Caucus recently fell out over some unexpended (left over) monies in a narrative that has taken an unexpected and revealing twist ever since the House decided that Kpaan was getting out of hand.
The tussle between the two parties was put to rest recently when Grace Kpaan decided to gracefully bow out as superintendent of Montserrado County, which she proceeded to do.
But since her exit from that government post, the former superintendent has not stopped making startling revelations into what many in the public have termed “behind-the-scene” happenings in connection with the use---or possible misuse---of funds intended for the development of the county and its people.
And if Grace Kpaan had her way, she would do it again, as her mission was to expose “evil deeds” she divulged to this newspaper. And, according to Ms. Kpaan, her position has not changed.
The Kpaan Building
“The money for development projects in Lower Montserrado was brought to the county council meeting and divided in 17 parts. The US$2.5 million already approved for the implementation of critical projects in Lower Montserrado County was split into 17 parts. And that should not have been done. The US$393,000, US$2.5 million plus the US$200,000 should have been brought together to amount to US$2.9 million---monies from the county development funds and the social development funds.”
Of course, Montserrado County district#16 Rep. Forh has already contested that figure. He argued that the money did not amount to US$2.9 million, but totaled US$2.5 million. Rep. Forh has since called for an immediate audit by the General Auditing Commission (GAC). He has also called on the Liberia Anti-Corruption Commission (LACC) to launch a probe into the controversial US$400,000 difference.
It may be recalled that the former superintendent and her former colleagues from the Montserrado County Legislative Caucus recently fell out over some unexpended (left over) monies in a narrative that has taken an unexpected and revealing twist ever since the House decided that Kpaan was getting out of hand.
The tussle between the two parties was put to rest recently when Grace Kpaan decided to gracefully bow out as superintendent of Montserrado County, which she proceeded to do.
But since her exit from that government post, the former superintendent has not stopped making startling revelations into what many in the public have termed “behind-the-scene” happenings in connection with the use---or possible misuse---of funds intended for the development of the county and its people.
And if Grace Kpaan had her way, she would do it again, as her mission was to expose “evil deeds” she divulged to this newspaper. And, according to Ms. Kpaan, her position has not changed.
The Kpaan Building
 |
| Kpaan had been dealing in petty trading some years back |
Meanwhile, the public has been talking as well, raising the issue of Grace’s house: its size, the quality of it and, naturally, its cost. The suggestion seems to be that Grace had to have done the same thing as those she has blown the whistle on, to build such a house. But Grace Kpaan disagreed bitterly. Here is what she had to say:
“I became superintendent in May 2010, and was superintendent for a little over two years. I have a beautiful house of course. I may not be a very ‘fancy’ Liberian, but I like small and nice things. I worked for the National Port Authority (NPA) for 20 years; I was on the board of the NPA for seven years.
“I also have been running one of the premier pharmacies in the country since 2008. I like to live the best way I can. I declared my house to the LACC. It’s simple. Go to the LACC and ask for the assets declared by me. As a matter of fact, when I was running in the by-election in 2009, I was on the second floor of that building. I am still with the NPA’s credit union. So, I had opportunities. In fact, that pharmacy was a backup for me during my campaign in the by-election. I built my first house from selling rice. I sold mineral water right from the start. So, I have been a businesswoman,” the mother of two explained.
“I became superintendent in May 2010, and was superintendent for a little over two years. I have a beautiful house of course. I may not be a very ‘fancy’ Liberian, but I like small and nice things. I worked for the National Port Authority (NPA) for 20 years; I was on the board of the NPA for seven years.
“I also have been running one of the premier pharmacies in the country since 2008. I like to live the best way I can. I declared my house to the LACC. It’s simple. Go to the LACC and ask for the assets declared by me. As a matter of fact, when I was running in the by-election in 2009, I was on the second floor of that building. I am still with the NPA’s credit union. So, I had opportunities. In fact, that pharmacy was a backup for me during my campaign in the by-election. I built my first house from selling rice. I sold mineral water right from the start. So, I have been a businesswoman,” the mother of two explained.
No comments:
Post a Comment