Following huge public outcry for President George M. Weah to completely overhaul his Airport team, after an inbound Brussels airline flight was forced in late April to return to Sierra Leone due to power outage at Liberia’s lone international airport, President Weah on Wednesday, May 4, 2022 appointed Mr. Darlington T. Karnley as Managing Director of the Liberia Airport Authority (LAA). But hardly had the ink dried on Mr. Karnley’s nomination did the public start to pick bones with President Weah’s choice due to what has been discovered to be gross discrepancies in the academic and employment records of the nominee posted by the Liberia presidency – an act that could dampen his chances during senate confirmation hearings.
According to the Executive Mansion website, the nominated LAA Managing Director presently works at Boeing, America’s leading aircraft manufacturer as Avionics Tech Specialist Manager, managing all installations, inspection, test, adjustment, or repairs avionics equipment, such as radar, radio, navigation, and missile control systems in aircraft or space vehicles.
“He is also an Aviation Maintenance Technician in Airframe and Powerplant. Mr. Karnley, comes to the portfolio with a rich background in the field of Aviation and is a Master Degree Candidate in Aviation Management from the Aviation Institute of Maintenance in Philadelphia,” the presidency stated.
However, in complete contradiction to the Weah administration’s press statement touting Mr. Karnley as holding a Master Degree in Aviation Management from the Aviation Institute of Maintenance in Philadelphia, independent investigations seem to suggest that the Executive Mansion was either misled about Mr. Karnley’s academic and employment history, or that the presidency knowingly tried to mislead the Liberian people.
As lead campaigner on Research and Reporting at the Campaigners for Academic Crimes Court (CACC), Martin K.N. Kollie has challenged Mr. Karnley’s academic and employment credentials that were presented by the Liberian presidency.
According to Kollie, the nominee is not only a university dropout but a career comedian; not an Avionics Tech Specialist.
“Mr. Darlington T. Karnley’s nomination as airport manager is like appointing a Nursing Assistant (CNA) to serve as a Neurosurgeon (NSG) in a hospital. The credentials of Karnley as stated in his nomination are fake. The Aviation Institute of Maintenance (AIM) in Philadelphia is not a degree-granting institution. It does not even offer an AA degree or an undergraduate degree; let alone a master’s degree.
“AIM is just a trade school like MVTC on the Somalia Drive in Liberia. AIM offers certificates and diplomas in the following areas: Aviation Maintenance Technician (AMT), Aviation Maintenance Technician Avionics (AMTA), Maintenance Technician, Professional Aviation Maintenance Certification Online Course, and Unmanned Aircraft Systems.
“There is no course as in “Aviation Management” that is offered at AIM in Philadelphia. Not even at certificate level or diploma level. Karnley lied about being a “master’s degree candidate in Aviation Management at AIM”. Like we’ve said, AIM is a trade school for beginner mechanics in aircraft maintenance. The total enrollment at AIM is 358 students as of 2022. You do not even need a high school diploma to be enrolled into AIM. You just need its equivalency,” Mr. Kollie stated Thursday in a press release.
Kollie further countered contradictions in the Executive Mansion press release which indicated that the “the new LAA Manager presently works at Boeing, America’s leading aircraft manufacturer as Avionics Tech Specialist.”
“There is no position at Boeing as in “Avionics Tech Specialist”. This is a pathetic lie. Boeing has Avionics Engineers, Avionics Technicians, and Avionics Technical Officers. There is nothing like an “Avionics Tech Specialist”.
“Boeing has a Zoominfo Directory where the names and titles of all their employees/contractors are uploaded as per region. For instance, North America has up to 76,426 employees, Asia 1748, Europe 1105, Australia 1154, etc. Please click this link to see our proof: https://www.zoominfo.com/pic/the-boeing-company/5128546. There is no name as in “Darlington T. Karnley” with the title “Avionics Tech Specialist” in this directory.
“In this 395-page directory, this is the list of the 59,594 employees and contractors working at Boeing along with various positions in the United States of America. There is no name as “Darlington T. Karnley” with the title “Avionics Tech Specialist” in this directory.
“Karnley is an academic fraudster and a liar of the first order. He is not a specialist in any field or discipline and he has never been either.
“Let’s tell you who Darlington Karnley actually is. We just got his record from Cuttington University. He is a university dropout. He does not even have an undergraduate degree. He dropped out of Cuttington University and travelled to the United States of America. Since then, he has been a career comedian and pianist in the USA. Churches in the USA often hire him to play piano and at the same time, he’s hired to crack jokes at weddings, parties, and clubs in the USA.
“We have attached a flyer of one of his Comedy shows. How can Karnley even claim to be doing his master’s degree in aviation management when he does not have an undergraduate degree? This JOKE has to STOP. The Roberts International Airport (RIA) deserves an experienced, competent, and qualified professional and not a comedian like Karnley.
“Going forward, the Campaigners for Academic Crimes Court (CACC) will not allow anyone to use fake credentials from abroad in Liberia. We are calling on the Liberian Senate to vehemently reject Mr. George Weah’s nominee for airport manager in Darlington Karnley because he is unfit to serve such post.
“If the Senate does not have any committee to verify and/or check the credentials of would-be nominees or appointees of government, the CACC stands prepared to offer its voluntary services. We have the capacity and expertise to countercheck and carry out thorough due diligence. We are willing to help. The fake degrees in Liberia are too much. It is time to purge fake credentialists and Darlington Karnley is one of them,” Martin Kollie fumed.
Buttressing Mr. Kollie’s assertions, US-based Liberian Patrick Tarr said when he contacted authorities at the Atlanta Campus of Aviation Institute of Maintenance, the institution indicated that the only degree program they have is an Associate of Occupational Science Degree.
“The credits can be transferred to do bachelors at five schools including the National American University and the Liberty University. I asked whether any other campus is offering a bachelor or masters and the lady answered in the negative. Maybe the people running the Executive Mansion website made a mistake. They need to correct that,” Mr. Tarr posted Thursday on his social media wall.
Sources close to the Liberian legislature have hinted in this paper that nominee Darlington Karnley will not see the light of day when he appears for confirmation.
“We’ve joked about people’s jobs for too long. This time we will right the wrongs,” a highly-placed Senate source stated.
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