Who’s Pestering Amin Modad? -Former Commerce Minister Fends Off Negativities

MONROVIA – Though he has prematurely relinquished the prestigious position of Minister of Commerce and Industry, citing threats to his family, it appears opponents of business mogul Amin Modad are not letting him find solace after his dramatic resignation. Despite repeated clarifications that his resignation has nothing to do with “politically motivated” allegations against him, coupled with an audit by the General Auditing Commission vindicating him of any wrongdoing, the former Commerce Minister says “mischief folks” are not letting him rest, stonewalling all facts, and pinning stigma on him. This has prompted him to make another public statement to set the record straight. The Analyst reports.

Former Commerce Minister and business tycoon Amin Modad has issued an elaborate statement, doubling down on what he understands as “our political landscape and how some thrive on sensationalism, negative rumors, and the distress of others”.

In the statement released over the weekend, and placed on his social media pages, Modad who resigned during the early days of the Joseph Boakai administration, said he has tried now and then to share his thoughts and provide guidance to his social media followers and the public but noticed that whenever “I make a post, some individuals attempt to politicize or misinterpret it.

“I understand our political landscape and how some thrive on sensationalism, negative rumors, and the distress of others.”

“To my friends, followers, and those who continue to appreciate my service in government and my contributions to our society, let me reassure you of the following:

I try, now and then, to share my thoughts and provide guidance to my followers and the public. I notice that whenever I make a post, some individuals attempt to politicize or misinterpret it. I understand our political landscape and how some thrive on sensationalism, negative rumors, and the distress of others. To my friends, followers, and those who continue to appreciate my service in government and my contributions to our society, let me reassure you of the following:

1. There has been no fallout between the President and myself. There has been no loss of confidence or respect.

2. The President never asked me to resign; I did so of my own volition due to threats to my family, distractions from my responsibilities and what I was charged with achieving at the Ministry of Commerce and Industry (MOCI), as well as my commitment to the President and the people to lead with responsibility and accountability. We were achieving so much and fostering significant changes. The MOCI is not an easy ministry to lead. Cleaning it up and fostering impactful changes to the economy and business environment required making tough decisions and being able to say no when necessary. Thus, creating enmity and opposition internally and externally comes with the territory. Trust me, I have faced hostility, including from those who concocted and spread lies. Can you imagine, after using my own vehicle valued at over $100k for eight months in service to the country, the malicious lies began circulating that— a bulletproof luxury vehicle similar to what was used by the President of the U.S. was gifted to me? As the lies morphed daily without any facts and before any investigation, the lives of my family were threatened, and we became targets for extortionists, criminals, and a gullible public that rightfully became angry at the lies they were hearing. What broke the camel’s back for me was when my wife’s SUV was attacked while coming from my kids’ school. I believed then that by resigning, the distractions, malicious lies, and attacks would subside, allowing for proper investigations that would vindicate us.

3. Upon my resignation, I concomitantly wrote to the General Auditing Commission (GAC) and the Liberia Anti-Corruption Commission (LACC), following all required procedures and submitting myself to the law, including redeclaring my assets. The Senate also convened a hearing and conducted its own investigation; there were no acts of corruption or malfeasance found.

4. While the President felt at the time that the cost of the vehicle was high, which I accepted and offered to pay the difference out of pocket, he clearly highlighted my contributions to the Ministry and did not accuse us of any act of corruption. Subsequent to my resignation, all relevant documents were submitted to the President’s office, including the paper trail beginning with the Ministry’s request for support to the Liberia Revenue Authority (LRA), the LRA’s response, multiple quotes solicited from various dealerships, the direct purchase made to the vendor by the LRA (with no funds passing through the MOCI or me), and the LRA’s own statement and response to the allegations that vindicated us of any acts of corruption or malfeasance. If anyone knows President Boakai well, you will know that if there was any act of corruption, we would have experienced the consequences.

With all the digging and investigations by those who sought our downfall, wouldn’t incriminating evidences have been presented by now?

5. What those who spewed the malicious lies did not reveal and most people did not know was, the vehicle was procured months before the budget law capping vehicles at $45k was put in place. When the law was put in place, even before it became an issue, we attempted to return the vehicle to the dealership in exchange for 2 cheaper vehicles. However, the loss that we would have incurred defeated the purpose and intent.

6. I remain committed Unity Partisan and my relationship with President Boakai go far beyond politics. I still enjoy his confidence and still believe in his leadership. People have to realize that we’ve come so far supporting the party, fighting for this victory we won, and working for the change we’ve gotten; the relationships we’ve built, the confidence we share, and vision we seek go far beyond politics and government job. They cannot be destroyed capriciously; it would take far more than a couple of earthquakes or ignorant statements to destroy.

7. Before and after serving in government, I continue to provide my expertise to the President and Government out of confidence in his leadership & vision, and with the sole purpose of fostering a better Liberia.