*Photo of Ambulai Johnson

By: Our Staff Writer

Liberia’s Minister of Internal Affairs, Ambulai Johnson, has resigned his post upon the request from President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf who took no time in accepting his resignation.

Johnson is the cousin of the President and there have been many pressures on the President for Johnson’s dismissal, mainly from some members of the National Legislature for his alleged misappropriation of funds intended for their counties. His resignation adds to the President’s recent list of close allies and friends who have been booted out of her government on acts of corruption.

Nimba County Senior Senator, Prince Y. Johnson, stated last year that the former minister was using the letterhead of the office of President Sirleaf and the phrase ‘by directive of the President’ to close financial deals under the pretext that those deals were sanctioned by the President of Liberia.

As head of the Project Management Team, the former Internal Affairs Minister also failed to follow the guidelines governing the management and implementation of the Social Development Fund, funds provided by ArcelorMittal for social developmental purposes of the counties in which they operate.

Senator Johnson also said that the IA Minister and the Minister of Lands, Mines and Energy tampered with funds provided his county by ArcelorMittal Steel, a leading steel company operating in the county using the letterhead of the Ministry of State. The company by now should have paid US$6 million over a four year period, US$1.5 annually for the use of the county’s resources, but Johnson confirmed that there is US$5 million currently deposited in the bank for the county.

For months there have been speculations that the President had been bombarded by reports highlighting the speed at which Johnson built a mansion on the Robertsfield Highway and also purchased a flashy Jaguar in a short period of time.

The former minister’s ‘mansion’ is also becoming a major issue in some of Monrovia’s daily newspapers.

President Sirleaf’s recent drastic action of dismissals and resignation requests suggest that the President is serious about winning a second term following her recent pronouncement.