Monrovia – Reports of a possible U.S. visa restriction on Liberians have reignited debate over the country’s passport scandal, with supporters of President Joseph Nyuma Boakai and former President George Weah’s Coalition for Democratic Change (CDC) administration blaming each other for the situation.
By Gerald C. Koinyeneh, [email protected]
According to The New York Times, a draft document circulating within the U.S. government categorizes countries into three tiers—red, orange, and yellow—based on potential travel restrictions. Liberia falls under the “yellow” category, meaning the government has been warned to address specific deficiencies to avoid sanctions. The U.S. Embassy in Monrovia has not officially commented on the matter.
Who Is to Blame?
The reported inclusion of Liberia on the list has sparked a war of words. Critics of the former CDC-led government blame it for allegedly selling diplomatic passports to individuals of questionable character, which they argue led to heightened scrutiny from U.S. authorities.
Henry Costa, a political commentator and a one-time Boakai supporter, claimed that Liberia’s potential visa restriction is linked to the CDC administration’s alleged involvement in selling diplomatic passports and consul general positions to criminals and possibly terrorists.
“This practice of the past administration has raised serious national security concerns in Washington, D.C., leading to Liberia’s inclusion on the proposed travel ban list,” Costa stated on his Facebook page.
Similarly, Unity Party supporter and political analyst Ambulah Mamey argued that while past administrations, including former President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf’s, were accused of improper passport sales, the Weah administration worsened the problem. He also criticized the Boakai administration for failing to investigate the matter.
“Ellen [Johnson Sirleaf] government sold passports to journalists. Weah [George Weah] government sold passports to criminals & drug dealers. JNB [Joseph Nyuma Boakai] promised but FAILED to investigate, release a report, and clean the system. Now, ordinary Liberians risk visa restriction. JNB’s failure to investigate DOES NOT make Weah, who gave the passports to criminals, better,” Mamey wrote.
Supporters of former President Weah, however, argue that the Boakai administration’s handling of the passport issue has worsened Liberia’s diplomatic standing.
Acarous M. Gray, a former Montserrado County representative, blamed the Boakai-led government for recalling diplomatic passports, which he claimed was prompted by U.S. concerns over criminals holding such passports.
“President Boakai canceled diplomatic passports because the Americans raised concerns that criminals were holding diplomatic passports from ambassador-at-large and special envoys,” Gray stated.
He accused the Boakai administration of continuing the practice of issuing diplomatic passports to individuals of questionable character, citing the case of Joe Kpoto, a Liberian arrested in Japan for allegedly defrauding a Japanese businessman while carrying a Liberian diplomatic passport.
A History of Passport Scandals
The controversy over Liberia’s diplomatic passports is not new. In 2020, the U.S. government sanctioned Andrew Wonplo, former Director of Passport and Visas at Liberia’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, for his role in what it described as significant corruption related to passport fraud.
“This designation reaffirms U.S. commitment to standing with the people and government of Liberia in their fight against corruption,” the U.S. State Department stated at the time.
While Wonplo was later exonerated by the court, critics of the Weah administration argue that the government was lenient with Wonplo, fearing that he could implicate high-profile officials.
In 2022, another passport scandal erupted when U.S. authorities discovered a Liberian diplomatic passport in the home of Sheik Bassirou Kante, who was later convicted in the United States for a $7 million business fraud scheme. Following this revelation, then President Weah ordered a temporary halt to the issuance of diplomatic passports and an investigation into how Kante obtained one. However, no public report of the investigation was released.
Upon assuming office, President Boakai attempted to address the issue by suspending the issuance of diplomatic, official, and service passports under the July 2023 Revised Passport Regulations. The administration reinstated the 2016 passport regulations, citing national security concerns.
The move was welcomed by the U.S. Embassy, which stated, “The Foreign Minister’s commitment to address the issue of fraudulent travel documents advances not just Liberia’s national security but that of the international community.”
However, critics argue that despite the Boakai administration’s initial stance, there has been little progress in cleaning up the passport system. Many of the previous officials appointed as ambassadors-at-large under the Weah administration reportedly remain in their positions.
A New Travel Ban Looming?
With Liberia reportedly on the U.S. watchlist for potential visa restrictions, the debate over accountability continues. Critics of Weah say his administration’s failure to clean up the passport system led to the current situation, while opponents of Boakai argue that his government has failed to take decisive action to rectify past mistakes.
As the 60-day period reportedly given by the U.S. government to address these concerns approaches, it remains unclear whether Liberia will take the necessary steps to avoid travel sanctions or if ordinary Liberians will bear the consequences of political mismanagement.
For now, the blame game between supporters of both administrations continues, while Liberians wait anxiously to see how the situation unfolds.
