MONROVIA – The Executive Director of the Development Education Leadership Training in Action Human Rights Foundation (DELTA Human Rights Foundation) Executive Director Jesse B. Cole has written the Liberia Anti-Corruption Commission (LACC) complaining Bong County Administration and the County Council of Bong County for awarding a single renovation contract twice to JEAMCCO from the County Development Fund.
The County Administration firstly awarded JEAMCO a contract to renovate the Superintendent Compound in 2020.
The contract was signed on March 6, 2020, with the completion time at July 6, 2020.
According to Executive Director Jesse B. Cole, the County Authority at the time paid US$ 50,000.00 as a full project cost but the Superintendent Compound was not renovated and turned over by JEAMCCO.
“After the 2023 election when the County received new local authorities based on the Local Government Act of 2018,” Cole wrote, “we were very much surprised to see the new leadership of the County headed by Superintendent Hawa Loleyah Norris awarding the same project with the total sum of US$ 149,000.00 plus to the same construction company, who earlier received a full payment of US$ 50,000.00 and never turned the completed Superintendent Compound over to the authority of Bong County.”
He wondered over the motivate behind the County leadership’s continued awarding a contract to JEAMCCO without completion despite being paid, thus awarding the same contract twice to the company.
Cole further said JEAMCCO Construction company was awarded five (5) construction contracts from the 2018 County Council Sitting in Bong County, adding “those constructions were not done and they are at a standstill.”
He said the five contracts included completion of the commissioner Compound, construction of an Elementary School, completion of a clinic, and another construction of an elementary school in Kokoyah Electoral District#1, Bong County.
“JEAMCCO was also awarded the very Superintendent Compound in the same 2018 resolution for US$ 50.000.00 and it was paid for said project, while US $15,000.00 each was paid for the other four projects in Kokoyah with no work done and having the projects at standstill,” he revealed.
The DELTA Human Rights Foundation Executive Director in his communication to the LACC said even though the County officials are aware of the General Auditing Commission (GAC) audit report on the County Development Fund and Social Development Fund of Bong County for the Fiscal Year, especially on June 30, 2021, regarding JEAMCCO inability to complete the projects, Superintendent Hawa Loleyah Norris and County authorities warded JEAMCOO another “looting opportunity”.
“The Auditor General recommended that contractor should complete the project consistent with the scope of work, technical specifications, and payment terms.”
The DELTA Human Rights Foundation big man further revealed that the Auditor General also recommended that a penalty should be imposed on the contractor for not adhering to the technical specifications of the scope of work and completion of the project in time as spelled out in the contract.
Based on this information, DELTA Human Rights Foundation also wrote the County Council of Bong on July 18, 2024, to call on the County Administration to put a hut to the new contract signed with JEAMCCO and it should investigate past contracts awarded to the company, but to date, no serious effort had been made and there had been no called session from the County Council in order to respond to some of the request made to the County Council of Bong County by DELTA Human Rights Foundation.
“We DELTA Human Rights Foundation, a National Human Rights Foundation request your (LACC) presence in Bong County to conduct an investigation into this issue to prevent the County from losing this fund for Development,” activist said in the communication.
Meanwhile, Bong County Superintendent Hawa Loleyah Norris said the ongoing renovation work will give the building facelift.
“This building is the official residence of Bong County Superintendent,” She said. “You are aware that money spent for the renovation of the compound under the past regime was made available as a result of the 2018 County Development Sitting in Gbarnga, but the project wasn’t done.”
The Bong County Superintendent revealed in a local Community Radio interview on October 19, 2024, that the current renovation is being managed by JEAMCCO Inc., the same company that was hired previously.
She said there is no need to give the project to a different contractor because JEAMCCO agreed during the bidding process to pre-finance work during the past regime.
Superintendent Norris further noted that the US$144,000 initially allocated by the County Council to complete the renovation was a reduction from the past administration’s US$149,000 allotment, something which the past regime claimed to have paid US$50,000.00 to JEAMCCO INC.
Superintendent Norris said she remained committed to the development of Bong County, adding that she will not be carried away by negative propaganda.
In July of this year, the Bong County Council approved Superintendent Hawa Loleyah Norris’s 100-day Action Plan budget.
The budget contained US$302,913 for projects such as the fencing of the Gbarnga Administrative Building (US$50,922), renovation of the Superintendent Compound (US$144,000), and cultivating beans in the 13 administrative districts.