Liberia: One Fired, Two Suspended Over Forestry ‘Crimes’
— Several also charged, as FDA begins robust clampdown to rid the sector of illegal practices
The Forestry Development Authority (FDA) has dismissed one of its employees and suspended two others for their alleged involvement in illegal logging activities and other malpractices in the forestry sector.
Those affected by the entity’s administrative action are Varney Marshall (dismissed), Edward Jallah, and Isaac Railey. The latter two are being
suspended from the job, while an investigation is ongoing.
These moves come at a time when the management of the Authority has begun a robust clampdown on illegal practices in the forestry sector.
The FDA says the dismissed employee, Marshall, was engaged in illegal logging while the suspended employees, Jallah and Railey, have been subjected to police investigation for allegations of economic sabotage as a result of the illegal harvesting and exportation of logs outside of the processes established by the government. Their punishments also involve being sent home without pay, pending the completion of their criminal trial.
"As caretaker of the forest heritage of the country, there is no room for violators within the employ of the Forestry Development Authority," said FDA Managing Director, C. Mike Doryen, in a statement on Monday.
“Employees of the entity being involved directly in activities such as logging is not only just a conflict of interest but is counterproductive to the growth and development of the forest sector," Doryen said.
The forestry sector has been in the news lately for the wrong reasons, especially due to chains of clandestine operations and unwholesome acts of illegal harvesting and processing of logs around the country by unscrupulous people, some of whom are in the sector.
Rangers of the FDA in August 2022, intercepted four container trucks conveying illegal wood to the Freeport of Monrovia. The containers were containing Ekki logs (Lophira allata), which the FDA said were harvested through illegal means in total disregard of the established chain of custody system, which provides legal traceability for timber products.
The Ekki is a high-quality wood on the global market. The logs were harvested in Gbarpolu County.
Two trucks containing semi-processed timber, locally referred to as “Kpacolo,” were also intercepted in Nimba County last year while an additional two container trucks conveying Kpacolo from western Liberia to the Free Port of Monrovia for export were also arrested, the FDA said.
“In the wake of these chains of illegal activities the FDA has informed state security apparatuses of these troubling developments and is increasing its collaboration with justice actors to swiftly investigate these illegal acts to deter all those bent on perpetrating these acts,” the authority said in a statement in October of last year.
All those acts violate section 5.1(a), and section 20.1 of the National Forestry Reform Law (NFRL), which prohibit commercial use of forest resources without permission from the FDA. All those violations are punishable under section 20.7 of the NFRL.
The government, through the FDA, has since instituted legal actions against those involved in those violations—including Jallah, Marshall, Railey, and many others. The Liberia National Police investigation of the August 2022 bust has led to criminal charges against nine (9) individuals, including three (3) FDA employees.
Doryen says the entity sees this latest action as welcoming progress in its fight against illegal logging activities.
“Last year, Marshall was the subject of an FDA investigation into allegations of his involvement in illegal logging in Grand Cape Mount County. A video that circulated on social media captured Marshal's open engagement in illegal logging activities, a vice he was hired to prevent and combat,” the FDA said in its Monday statement.
Marshall reportedly admitted to his illegal actions, which his employer said are detrimental to the FDA and were grounds for his dismissal consistent with Policy 14.06.02 of the Personnel Policy of the FDA and Section 14.4(a) of the Decent Work Act of 2015.
For Jallah and Railey, the FDA says, they are subjects of police investigation of allegations of economic sabotage involving the illegal harvesting and exportation of logs outside of the processes established by the FDA. They are two of the nine individuals the LNP is investigating for the Free Port bust. They were arrested and charged with theft of property, forgery, economic sabotage, criminal conspiracy, criminal facilitation, and bribery.
“Upon reviewing the criminal charge, especially in light of the charges growing out of your conduct as an FDA employee, it is our decision that you should be suspended from employment until such time as this criminal charge is resolved. If the allegations contained within this letter are determined to be unfounded, you will be compensated for the period of suspension and the record purged of any documentation thereof,” a letter from the FDA to the two reads.
“However, if it is determined that the allegations are true, then disciplinary action up to and including dismissal may be taken. During the period of suspension, you are restricted from all premises of the Forestry Development Authority, and you are required to immediately return all properties of the FDA within your possession to the Human Resource Division,” the letter added.