MONROVIA: These are truly typical African political times. Election 2023, like all other risky moments, has come for the hunt of man’s character to settle scores. And all who are big names, particularly working to distinguish themselves for the better, are vulnerable to the claws of foes. The current catch is Nora Finda Bundoo, Executive Mansion Chief of Protocol, a calm, unassuming young Liberian girl who has made her name amongst ordinary citizens for her altruistic deportments. The cruel knifes of propaganda villains are at her poor throat right now, intentionally and forcefully dragging her name in the RIA drug story which has been having its day on the prism of logical thinking. But many counter-propaganda connoisseurs has found a litany of faults that were pieced together by the desperados to drag down the name of Madam Bundoo in the mud. Here is ace social scientist, Michael C. Tiahplay, who believes Ambassador Bundoo is a victim of 2023 campaign propaganda and the good is that the entire narrative about her is fake and got no merit. The Analyst reports.
As many Liberians become amused by the drug story reported from the Roberts International Airport and all insinuations, rumormongering and innuendos, there are critical minds who are accessing the maze with the intent to separate facts from false narratives. Mr. Michael C. Tiahplay, an accomplished Liberian Social Scientist and brilliant facts-checker, has come to the rescue of the innocent, unsuspecting public who may be victims of gross misinformation and disinformation on the saga.
Tiahplay is particularly concerned about attempts to implicate, just by a stroke of pen, a young Liberian girl who has come to the limelight of public adoration and reverence on account of her good-naturedness, Ambassador Nora Finda Bundoo, Executive Mansion Chief of Protocol and a close confidante of President George Manneh Weah.
In his analysis, a copy shared with The Analyst, he wrote: “There are controversies and conflicting information trailing the drug bust at the Robert International Airport. As these are crucial political times, it is understandable, however outrageously unfair, that politicians and their agents will peddle lies. And it is not a surprise that someone closed to the President of Liberia, a formidable candidate in the 2023 elections, would be target.
“The no-surprise element of it all is this: opponents of President Weah and his CDC have made drug issue their foremost campaign message in these elections long before the reported drug story at the RIA. While one may not know how this drug message – that George Weah and his government are responsible for the rampant drug situation in the country – is helping the opposition, it cannot be denied that indeed, without proof, they have pinned the ruling establishment to drug peddling. The RIA drug bust, irrespective of its substance, has come to give those who have paraded drug issue as a campaign message a window to find justification. So, even though the manifest apparently doctored to implicate Ambassador Bundoo is clearly fake and the accused name clearly misspelled in it, the accusers believe all Liberians will be fools enough to buy in their machinations.”
Barrage of Wrong, Confusing Information
The initial doubts surrounding the whole allegation was derived from the way the information about the alleged drug case was processed from the source of the allegation and then to the wider porous social media. The information had trended for some hours; some mainstream media institutions lifted the stories and referenced comments from some people who are seen clearly to have already rehearsed their opinions against Madam Bundoo.
For instance, some media institutions reported that the alleged drug bust came to public notice after some members of the Armed Forces of Liberia had arrested the Chief of Security at the RIA, Samuel Freeman with consignments of illicit drugs after he had received the product on behalf of Madam Bundoo. They further insinuated that when Mr. Freeman was confronted, he purportedly confessed that the drugs belonged to Madam Bundoo and that he was instructed to receive the items on her behalf.
The reports had it that based on the denial by Madam Bundoo, Freeman was incarcerated and the matter was turned over to the joint security of Liberia. But contrary to the wrong information about his arrest and detention by the joint security, Freeman held a press conference to say he was never arrested or queried by anybody or institution as to his involvement. He expressed astonishment as to “where the perception was coming from.”
According to him, he was surprised hearing about his name was being mentioned in the case especially quoting him as making a confession with the security forces that he had received the parcel on behalf of Madam Bundoo and that such assertion being credited to him was denied by Madam Bundoo.
He was quoted as saying: “I don’t know where they got their perception from that I was arrested by AFL officers with drugs. The AFL officer that was being mentioned, Lt. Kollie, was not present. He came to my office this morning and I signed a gas slip for his vehicle. He made the allegation to the MD that I took a vehicle at the Airside of the Airport and the MD asked me saying he was told that I took a bus at the airside to take delivery of consignment for Finda Bundoo and I said who told you that. I told him how can that be when you and myself were at Smell No Taste Community when the President was there and I went live on my facebook page.”
Even in the face of it, Mr. Freeman has since being suspended from office to assist the investigation. He has reportedly also said the goods being referenced arrived at the RIA via the only Kenya Airways, confiscated and turned over to the Liberia Revenue Authority (LRA) and were to be opened to the public on the day he granted the interview with the media.
He never ever said anywhere on the records as taking instruction from Madam Bundoo, something which some media institutions were running with as the narrative. And if keenly unpacked, it is all intended and conceived in evil minds to implicate Madam Bundoo. This is the tread and basis upon which all the rumors about the Chief of Protocol came, built and supplied to the public as to back up the lies. And that’s why it cannot be taken seriously but a vile attempt to defame for political reasons.
Furthermore, true to assertions by Mr. Freeman, the opening the boxes containing the referenced products, it was reported that the exercise was carried out found that the items which later turned out to be moringa leafs where in fact imported in the country by one Stephen Daniels and not Madam Finda Bundoo as was erroneously peddled around. The consignee, Daniels, did not reject ownership of the product.
Criminally Doctoring Manifest
In a desperate attempt to validate their accusations and to drag Madam Bundoo to the case, the fraudsters went ahead to manufacture papers, purported manifests, which God being on guard, came out to be too poorly done and fake to believe.
The sampling of thoughts on the documentations from some forensic experts to ascertain the true nature of evidence, it was discovered that the purported manifest of the goods which was handwritten with terrible prints contains the name “Finda Bondo”, which is a complete corruption, misspell and misrepresentation of the Ambassadors’ name—Nora Finda Bundoo.
Doctoring papers is not a new trade or vocation in Liberia. In fact, there is a place called “World Trade Center” in Central Monrovia, where a group of predominantly young Liberians carry out clerical services. There are experts of documentation falsification. In fact, multiply during the Ellen Johnson Sirleaf administration, the World Trade Center was raided by law enforcement agencies.
A close look at the manifest with an expert’s eye shows that the document is grossly fake, doctored and manufactured by evil men to prove a point; first that Madam Bundoo is linked, and second that indeed the Weah government is the biggest importer of narcotics and bad substances. But God being in control, the doctoring wasn’t perfect. In rush, the evil men misspelled the Ambassadors name, and the prints are a far cry from normal airline manifest prints.
Chief Criminal’s Handiwork
Serious suspicion has been directed at the former Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of The Spoon TV, Stanton Witherspoon who first published what he called the truth behind the saga.
Two undisputed things: firstly, Witherspoon is a career fraudster, not only well-criminally schooled in falsification and doctoring of documents and, secondly, that he and his Spoon Talk/TV are hired propaganda guns for the former ruling Unity Party.
The intent is clear. Use him to rope some government officials, especially Madam Bundoo to a drug case so that it validates the major campaign message “George Weah Government brings KUSH and other drugs in the country.”
For days now, Witherspoon who recently entered into plea bargaining with the United States of America after being slammed with charges linking him to wire fraud.
Stanton Witherspoon who defrauded the United States of America with fake nursing degrees without conscience is definitely the brain behind this trick. He has been conducting a media trial to blackmail Madam Bundoo beyond imagination.
Those who are legal minds and experts are of the opinion that if investigations were launched to get to the root of the allegations based on the falsities garnered by the likes of Witherspoon and his political masters, there will be no case to present other than some blackmailers sitting somewhere to ruin the career of a promising young lady who is passionate about the country.
Weah: “Everyone Knows What I Know Best”
After shrugging the propaganda about the ruling Government is responsible for bring harmful drug substances in the country, perhaps initially because the propaganda didn’t worth a response, President George Manneh Weah has been taking some minutes of his campaign rally remarks to comment on the gimmicks.
Speaking few days ago while addressing a political campaign in Bong County President Weah said everyone knows him to be one of the best performing presidents of Liberia—builder of roads, free houses for the poor, hospitals, giver of better education policies, free WASSCE and free tuition—than a drug dealer as his political foes want the public to believe.
“Politicians who don’t care for you, and who not going anywhere in these elections, and who lack campaign messages, are informing you that this government that you brought to power is bringing drug to the country,” the President said at the rally in Gbarnga on Wednesday.
“I can tell you that when I was a young man, drugs were in Liberia. In 2014 when I was a senator, my friend and attorney called me that because there were drugs in the graveyard and they wanted to break down the graveyard. But I told them, ‘please do not breakdown the graveyard in Montserrado as far as I am the senator. So the drug business in Liberia is as old as the country. If you can remember in 2014, government officials were going across to the Sierra Leonean border; they had drugs in their car. Those people were NSA directors and they were in those 12 years. So today they are accusing this government that is doing well to ensure we catch everyone that brings drugs in this country and they are telling you that the government is bringing in drugs. It is a lie.”
“We confiscated $100m of drugs the other day? And I can tell you that honestly when I was called, I told the law enforcement to take the drugs to the barracks and inform the American Ambassador McCarthy and the military to burn the $100 m drugs. That drug did not come into our society,” the President said further.
“We are working with the Liberia immigration and we are doing our best, even with the limited resources. Our security forces are arresting people every day that are doing drug business. We have no reason to promote drugs because we are not students of drugs. They want to tell you that they will come to you because they have no hope, so they will say anything to you but don’t mind them.”
“You Liberians know me very well. You don’t know me to do drugs. You know me to be a builder of things, of social services, that improve the standard of all Liberians. You know me to be someone with extreme passion to develop this country in all its sector. Those who do drugs know themselves.”
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