Listen to Passport Director in his own words
The Government of Liberia, Led by President George Weah Through A Special Committee, Directed The Issuance of Passports to Non-Liberians Monrovia, Liberia – The Government of Libera (GoL), led by President George Weah has over the years directed the issuance of privileged passports (i.e. diplomatic or service) to non-Liberians obtaining privileged opportunities from the Chief Executive (i.e. President of Liberia) either being appointed as Honorary Counsels or individuals being honored by the Government of Liberia during the tenure of his presidency.
Note: The diplomatic passport is not a right to citizenship. It is a book of honor. The diplomatic passports were issued to heads of governmental entities, all commission officers at embassies of Liberia around the world and any one the Chief Executive (i.e. President Weah) will prefer to have it as a way of honor. The policy regarding the issuance of the diplomatic passports (I wish to emphasize, non-Liberians included) states that the entitled has the right to write and request for diplomatic passports for his/her partner and all members of his/her household below the age of 18 years.
The Minster of Foreign Affairs (Gbehzohngar Milton Findley, Minister of Foreign Affairs at the time) often acts in the place of the Chief Executive (i.e. President Weah) when it comes to the issuance of diplomatic passports. For special cases, the President will work directly with the Director of Passport (Andrew D. Wonplo, Former Direct of Passport) via communication instructions always emanating from the Office of the Chief of Protocol of the Executive Mansion (Nora Finda Bundoo), Minister of State (MOS) for Presidential Affairs Without Portfolio (Trokon Kpui) or the Assistant Minister of Logistics, MOS (James Emmanuel Potter).
Contrary to regular or ordinary passports, privileged or diplomatic passports do not require prove of citizenship of the Republic of Liberia (RL) for the issuance of said passports. Below is the process to vet Honorary Counsels (Non-Liberians) for the issuance of diplomatic passports:
1) A special committee comprising of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ministry of Justice, the National Security Agency (NSA), etc. vets all applicants for Honorary Counsels’ positions and later forwards the “approved” names of individuals to the Director of Passport through a status letter of communication directing the Passport Director to issue passports to these Honorary Counsels.
2) The Director of Passport at the time (i.e. Andrew D. Wonplo), receives the status letter of communications of vetted and “approved” individuals from the Special Committee and process the applications. It is important to point out that each status letter received from the committee were processed and later saved in the GoL secured system at the Division of Passports at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
3) These non-Liberians who were issued diplomatic passports will later go to serve as Honorary Counsels on behalf of the Liberian Government at various locations around the world as they were vetted.
Although it was part of my job as Director of Passports to issue diplomatic passports by law, it has been my concern that the vetting of the Honorary Counsels was done without my input. It was imperative that I (like any other Passport Director) was compelled to issue said BY PRESIDENT WEAH Public Affairs Section of Echoing Voices in Liberia Led by Andrew D. Wonplo Public Affairs Section of Echoing Voices in Liberia Led by Andrew D. Wonplo communication came from the top. This process give rise to the issuance of diplomatic to numerous Non-Liberians across the world.
Now, given the fact that the United States Department of States is questioning the integrity or character of Non-Liberians carrying privileged Liberian passports, shouldn’t we be focusing our attention to the vetting process of these individuals and not accusing or hunting down the Director of Passports who simply took orders and was not even a member of the special vetting committee? Itsn’t probable that some of these privileged individuals who are Non-Liberians and holders of diplomatic are bad actors?
When the US State Department made the announcement designating me and my family, I immediately went public. The next day, I received information that the Government of Liberia had communicated with security apparatus to have me and all those closed to me captured before the US Government can get to me or them.
Within less than an hour, heavily armed men were at my house. I than fled for my life and left my home since Saturday evening, September 19, 2020. I’m afraid for my life, the lives of my families and all those friends who are very closed to me considering what had happened to the Late Matthew J. Innis, a Permanent Resident of the United States of America (Louisville, Kentucky) and former Deputy Director for Micro-finance in the Central Bank of Liberia’s Regulation and Supervision Department at the Central Bank of Liberia, who was mysteriously killed last year as reported in the Daily Observer online platform on March 5, 2019.
According to the report, the late Innis, “openly expressed opposition not only to the commanding role played by Finance Minister Samuel Tweah in the US$25 million infusion exercise, but also to the manner in which the exercise was being handled outside regular and conventional banking procedures and practices.”
Consequent of the above, the U.S. Department of State has been willfully misinformed by the Liberian Government through the Ministry of Foreign Affairs for the sole purpose of covering up corrupt practices and ties to potential terrorists and drugs dealers alike. And now, because of this announcement by the U.S. State Department, the Liberian Government led by President Weah will go at any length to silence me. And killing me is an option for them. It was made cleared last week in a meeting according to my source, that I must be captured before the U.S. Government gets to me.
To the United States Government through the U.S Department of State, I, Andrew D. Wonplo is willing to come to the US Embassy near Monrovia to provide further pieces of information contain in this press release and any other information the State Department may need. My life and the lives of families and close friends are not safe with the current Government of Liberia! This is also a SOS call to ECOWAS and the United Nations High Commission for Refugees (UNHCR)!
My fellow Liberians, CDCains and foot soldiers of the cause, please be informed that the passport scarcity was planned illegally and executed by the Government of Liberia represented by Gbehzohngar Milton Findley (Minister of Foreign Affairs at the time) and Cllr. Deweh Gray, Deputy Minister for Legal Affairs, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, R.L. for personal gain by blocking Buck Press, the original provided of the Liberian Passports.
Gbehzohngar is currently using proceeds from said illegal transactions to fund his campaign. The next press release from Echoing Voices will continue with how cash flowed from the illegal transactions carried out by Gbehzohngar and Deweh, as well as the 4,250 passports are entrenched in the re-indictiment by the Government of Liberia.
Below are documents…
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