The Chairperson of the National Elections Commission (NEC), Madam Davidetta Brown-Lassanah, has described the recent pronouncement by the Liberia Anti-Corruption Commission (LACC) indicting her and listed for prosecution for her alleged involvement in the procurement of goods and services from the Tuma Enterprises as false and misleading.
Madam Lassannah who termed her response as a “general response” because as of the time of speaking to the media yesterday, Sunday, December 19, 2021, the LACC has not served her any response. She explained that “on November 19, 2021, the LACC served her with letters of invitation to appear for investigation but before the ink could dry on the letter of invitation, the LACC sent it to local media and its Chairman later that day appeared on the Voice of America international broadcast to tell the World that the LACC had placed her under criminal investigation.
She said on the advice of her lawyers and out of respect for the LACC as another institution of government, she remained silent even in the face of the weekly prejudicial leaks by the LACC to certain local dailies claiming it had found criminal wrongdoing but was receiving political pressure concerning the investigation. She added that never before has such calculative and coordinated leaks been seen in the LACC’s investigative history.
She said she believes that an agency with investigative and/or prosecutorial powers is obligated not to make, condone, or cause to be made public statements the agency knows or should reasonably know has the likelihood of prejudicing a criminal matter or heightening public condemnation of the target of an investigation.
“Following its investigation, the LACC through its Chairman held a press conference on December 15, 2021 in which he told the public the LACC had completed its investigation, and then read out an outcome claiming we had made certain admissions of guilt during our appearance before the LACC. This is false and misleading. We appeared before the LACC with our legal counsels, submitted the requested documents along with written statements; at no time during the interviews did any of us ever make any admission of guilt as falsely stated during the LACC’s December 15th press conference.
“As we await the LACC’s report to provide a detailed response, we note that the Liberian Constitution instructs that an announcement to pursue an indictment should not raise inference of guilt, as all accused persons are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
“Please rest assured that we remain focused on our critical role in our system of government to conduct free, fair and credible elections”, she concluded.
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