MONROVIA, LIBERIA-The Liberian Senate has vowed to place temporary stay order on the operations of Western Cluster-Liberia, if the Inter-Ministerial Concession Committee fails to provide detail information on its current operations.
It followed the appearance of the Minister of Finance, Justice, Mines and Energy, as well as the Chairman of the National Investment Commission, Molewuleh Gray, on Thursday, January 26, 2023.
The Senate is also demanding essential documents from the Executive, through the Inter-Ministerial Concession Committee, mandating the Company to carry out its current operations in the Western Region.
The documents include the Environmental Impact Assessment report on the movement of iron ore by truck, feasibility study and Western Cluster’s plan of operations.
Others include concrete evidence on Western Cluster’s indebtedness to the Liberian Government, twenty-four-million US Dollars, waiver of fourteen-million, distribution of Social Development Funds among the three western counties.
At the same time, the Senate has declared the recent Memorandum of Understanding giving rise to the resumption of the Company’s operations nor and void.
Meanwhile, the Ministers of Finance, Justice, Mines and Energy, have denied report of waiving thirteen-million US Dollars from the Company to resume its operations.
Justice Minister Musa Dean said the Company spent sixty-three-million dollars from 2011 without making any shipment, due to intervening factors, including Ebola and COVID-19 crisis.
He added that the Company informed the Liberian Government that it could not pay twenty-three-million dollars that Government demanded in line with the Mineral Development Agreement on grounds that they were not operating because of the intervening factors mentioned.
The Justice Minister noted that it is in the preview of the Finance Ministry and the Liberia Revenue Authority (LRA) to make the decision on the resumption of the Company’s operations in terms of taxes.
Cllr. Dean disclosed that the LRA and Finance Ministry acted in good faith to provide job opportunity and reawaken economic activities in Grand Cape Mount, Bomi and Gbarpolu Counties.
By: Sampson David
