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| Kpaan's incarceration was prevented by former Mayor Mary Broh |
Former Montserrado Superintendent Grace Kpaan near the close of last week went on record defending her taping of what should have been a conspiratorial conversation between Rep. Edward Forh and herself, but turned out otherwise, as Ms. Kpaan, according to her statements---and evidently in view of the evidence she has presented, had more than money on her mind.
The problem had its origins in a conversation about money that Edward Forh, as Montserrado County Representative from District #16, in what he referred to as “stupid joke telephone talk,” had suggested to Ms. Kpaan (as per the recording that Mr. Forh agrees carried his voice) that they ate (shared) US$400,000 of county development funds, dishing out the rest to other officials to keep the matter a secret.
Appearing on a local radio talk show on Thursday, Kpaan said she felt forced to be on her guard, especially since the Montserrado Legislative Caucus chair, Forh, proved to be more interested in discussing money matters---how funds were spent or must be spent---than anything else.
She recalled that upon assuming the chairmanship of the Montserrado County Legislative Caucus [for the second time], “the first thing Mr. Forh wanted to know was ‘how much money do we have.’”
Kpaan remembered that her predecessor, also a woman, had had similar problems with Edward Forh. “She was called to the Capitol in the same way I was, and was sent to jail in the selfsame way.” Grace added that as far as she was concerned, she wanted to have something to defend herself with; so she did what she had to do.
Ms. Kpaan therefore embarked on her phone taping venture, beginning in June 2012, she recalled. “I started recording around June. And for as long as we talked, I recorded. Anytime we talked, whether or not it lasted no more than one minute, I kept it up; I knew I was dealing with the same guy.”
The former superintendent was fielding questions related to concerns raised lately about the legality regarding the secret taping of a telephone conversation between Edward Forh and her. But Kpaan countered (offset, opposed) that she was compelled to secretly tape every conversation she had with Forh to protect her integrity.
“He started calling several meetings on county money matters. ‘Look Madam Superintendent, other counties ate this money and nothing came out of it. Nothing happened to them. We are just the bad lucky ones. And so, this thing here, I can’t be caucus chairman for nothing. When it comes to signature, I can write any signature. When it comes to paper work, you just leave it with me,” Kpaan quoted Rep. Forh as instructing her immediately upon becoming the chair of the county’s caucus.
According to Kpaan, from then on “I felt that any conversation with Forh should be recorded. All the while, I kept insisting that we went by the budget law; he also kept insisting that ‘we make the law and so when we reach it, we will pass it’. But I felt that was not the right way to pass the law. I won’t live up to this because I have a different style. I feel if you serve, you should leave a legacy and that’s why I believe in doing what is right.”
Edward Forh has since acknowledged the voice on the tape recorded by Kpaan as his and has "regretted" a humiliating recorded telephone conversation he engaged in with former Superintendent Grace Kpaan; but he owes no one an apology, he insisted.
“The stupid-joke telephone talk has embarrassed me, my family, and Capitol Building. Had I known that Grace Kpaan was recording me, I wouldn’t have answered her,” Rep. Forh of the Congress for Democratic Change (CDC) told a local radio interview recently in Monrovia.
Superintendent Kpaan recorded and released to radio stations, the conversation she had with Rep. Forh, while she was under pressure from the House of Representatives for the alleged misuse of US$50,000 from the Montserrado County Development Funds.
Superintendent Kpaan was accused by legislators of misappropriating the US$50,000 from the Montserrado County Development Funds. But addressing that allegation, Kpaan said “I didn’t take that money on my own. The Minister of Internal Affairs [Blamo Nelson] authorized the disbursement of this money and it was given to the 15 counties.
“Not only did I show receipts, [to legislators] I showed photos of the items that we bought with that money and people still talking about ‘restitute.’ I think this is a bad spirit. It looks like these people do not want others to fight corruption. I will not restitute; I cannot restitute. I didn’t take anybody’s money.”
In the taped conversation, Representative Forh asked Supt. Kpaan that he and she shared the money, and bribed other key stakeholders in an effort to successfully carry out the fraud he is said to have proposed. He, Forh, now terms the conversation a “stupid joke” that he claims was edited by Superintendent Kpaan.
According to Kpaan, the recording was not released by her. It was released her by legal counsel, Cllr. Pearl Brown-Bull. “And this was after Forh said it was the superintendent soliciting bribe from a lawmaker during his February 14, 2013 press conference. He then challenged me to release the tape. Cllr. Bull released the tape to prove that her client was not guilty of what was being alleged. The tape was released a day or two following that press conference.”
The release of that taped conversation outraged the Plenary of the House of Representatives, prompting an immediately hearing to which the former superintendent was cited.
“I was invited to the House the following week. This time, I was invited alone unlike the first two hearings to which I was invited along with my development superintendent and the Minister of Internal Affairs,” Kpaan asserted.
Meanwhile, Kpaan believes that the Lower of House of the Legislature acted unfairly to former Monrovia City Mayor Mary Broh by denying her the chance to appear for a contempt hearing.
“If they decided to call the Gender Minister to a hearing, why couldn’t they afford Mary a similar opportunity? They were unfair to her and I’m sorry that she had to go through all of that because of me,” she said.
Kpaan’s February 21 incarceration, as ordered by the House of Representatives, was prevented by the former Mayor, assisted by some of influential women. This action birthed a huge rigmarole that finally ended with the resignation of both women.
Appearing on a local radio talk show on Thursday, Kpaan said she felt forced to be on her guard, especially since the Montserrado Legislative Caucus chair, Forh, proved to be more interested in discussing money matters---how funds were spent or must be spent---than anything else.
She recalled that upon assuming the chairmanship of the Montserrado County Legislative Caucus [for the second time], “the first thing Mr. Forh wanted to know was ‘how much money do we have.’”
Kpaan remembered that her predecessor, also a woman, had had similar problems with Edward Forh. “She was called to the Capitol in the same way I was, and was sent to jail in the selfsame way.” Grace added that as far as she was concerned, she wanted to have something to defend herself with; so she did what she had to do.
Ms. Kpaan therefore embarked on her phone taping venture, beginning in June 2012, she recalled. “I started recording around June. And for as long as we talked, I recorded. Anytime we talked, whether or not it lasted no more than one minute, I kept it up; I knew I was dealing with the same guy.”
The former superintendent was fielding questions related to concerns raised lately about the legality regarding the secret taping of a telephone conversation between Edward Forh and her. But Kpaan countered (offset, opposed) that she was compelled to secretly tape every conversation she had with Forh to protect her integrity.
“He started calling several meetings on county money matters. ‘Look Madam Superintendent, other counties ate this money and nothing came out of it. Nothing happened to them. We are just the bad lucky ones. And so, this thing here, I can’t be caucus chairman for nothing. When it comes to signature, I can write any signature. When it comes to paper work, you just leave it with me,” Kpaan quoted Rep. Forh as instructing her immediately upon becoming the chair of the county’s caucus.
According to Kpaan, from then on “I felt that any conversation with Forh should be recorded. All the while, I kept insisting that we went by the budget law; he also kept insisting that ‘we make the law and so when we reach it, we will pass it’. But I felt that was not the right way to pass the law. I won’t live up to this because I have a different style. I feel if you serve, you should leave a legacy and that’s why I believe in doing what is right.”
Edward Forh has since acknowledged the voice on the tape recorded by Kpaan as his and has "regretted" a humiliating recorded telephone conversation he engaged in with former Superintendent Grace Kpaan; but he owes no one an apology, he insisted.
“The stupid-joke telephone talk has embarrassed me, my family, and Capitol Building. Had I known that Grace Kpaan was recording me, I wouldn’t have answered her,” Rep. Forh of the Congress for Democratic Change (CDC) told a local radio interview recently in Monrovia.
Superintendent Kpaan recorded and released to radio stations, the conversation she had with Rep. Forh, while she was under pressure from the House of Representatives for the alleged misuse of US$50,000 from the Montserrado County Development Funds.
Superintendent Kpaan was accused by legislators of misappropriating the US$50,000 from the Montserrado County Development Funds. But addressing that allegation, Kpaan said “I didn’t take that money on my own. The Minister of Internal Affairs [Blamo Nelson] authorized the disbursement of this money and it was given to the 15 counties.
“Not only did I show receipts, [to legislators] I showed photos of the items that we bought with that money and people still talking about ‘restitute.’ I think this is a bad spirit. It looks like these people do not want others to fight corruption. I will not restitute; I cannot restitute. I didn’t take anybody’s money.”
In the taped conversation, Representative Forh asked Supt. Kpaan that he and she shared the money, and bribed other key stakeholders in an effort to successfully carry out the fraud he is said to have proposed. He, Forh, now terms the conversation a “stupid joke” that he claims was edited by Superintendent Kpaan.
According to Kpaan, the recording was not released by her. It was released her by legal counsel, Cllr. Pearl Brown-Bull. “And this was after Forh said it was the superintendent soliciting bribe from a lawmaker during his February 14, 2013 press conference. He then challenged me to release the tape. Cllr. Bull released the tape to prove that her client was not guilty of what was being alleged. The tape was released a day or two following that press conference.”
The release of that taped conversation outraged the Plenary of the House of Representatives, prompting an immediately hearing to which the former superintendent was cited.
“I was invited to the House the following week. This time, I was invited alone unlike the first two hearings to which I was invited along with my development superintendent and the Minister of Internal Affairs,” Kpaan asserted.
Meanwhile, Kpaan believes that the Lower of House of the Legislature acted unfairly to former Monrovia City Mayor Mary Broh by denying her the chance to appear for a contempt hearing.
“If they decided to call the Gender Minister to a hearing, why couldn’t they afford Mary a similar opportunity? They were unfair to her and I’m sorry that she had to go through all of that because of me,” she said.
Kpaan’s February 21 incarceration, as ordered by the House of Representatives, was prevented by the former Mayor, assisted by some of influential women. This action birthed a huge rigmarole that finally ended with the resignation of both women.
I do not disagree with the recording if, as Ms Kpaan is saying, Forh was repeatedly soliciting bribes from her. On the other hand, we need to be sure whether the calls were initiated by Forh for the sole purpose. We also need to get an understanding of other recorded conversations and the direction in which they went.
ReplyDeleteMake no mistake, I do not approve of any orchestrations to deprive the government of needed revenue. I however think that investigations should be full, in a way and manner that will guarantee further action, including removal from office, if the claims can be proven.
In such a case, removal does not guarantee him any government pension. On the other hand, if he is pressured to resign in the absence of a full investigation, he will be entitled to pension - that is, payment for life after "stealing" our money.