MONROVIA – The Office of the Ombudsman has slapped fines on twenty high-ranking public officials, including Labor Minister Cllr. Cooper Kruah and Liberia Petroleum Refining Company (LPRC) Managing Director Amos B. Tweh, for failing to appear before the body to answer to allegations of violating Part V of the Code of Conduct for Public Officials.
Each official was fined US$1,000 following repeated failures to honor formal summonses issued by the Ombudsman. Among those sanctioned is also the Chairman of the Board of Directors of the National Port Authority (NPA), Mr. J. Luther Tarpeh.
The officials had hired Henry’s Law Firm to represent them and, through their lawyers, made multiple requests for postponement, citing the need for more time to prepare their legal defense. The Ombudsman initially granted a one-week extension on February 19, 2025, but a second request on February 24 went unanswered when neither the lawyers nor the officials appeared for the hearing.
Those fined alongside Kruah, Tweh, and Tarpeh include Ms. Lucia Massalee Yallah, Mr. Emmanuel Zorh, Jr., Atty. Cornelia Kruah-Togba, Mr. Whroway Bryant, Mr. Emmanuel K. Farr, Ambassador Sheikh Al-Moustapha Kouyateh, Mr. Ben A. Fofana, Ms. Patience Randall, Mr. Edmund Forh, Ms. Selena P. Mappy, Mr. Melvin Cephus, Ms. Lucia Tarpeh, Mr. Robert Bestman, Mr. James Yolei, Mr. Collins Tamba, Mr. Kansualism B. Kansuah, and Cllr. Kuku Y. Dorbor.
The Ombudsman has ordered the officials to appear again on Wednesday, April 9, 2025, at 10 a.m. Failure to comply with this new directive could result in further disciplinary action.
The Office of the Ombudsman used the occasion to caution all public servants about their ethical obligations and urged them to conduct themselves in a manner consistent with the Code of Conduct. The institution stressed that accountability and respect for due process remain central to good governance.
