Liberia: Petroleum Company Refutes LACC’s Corruption Claim

The management of God's Willing Inc., a petroleum company, has denied corruption allegations made by the Liberia Anti-Corruption Commission (LACC) against the entity. The CEO, Mr. Odoshall Oldpa Karnue, stated in a press conference held in Ganta, Nimba County on Friday, March 22, that his company has all the necessary documents to prove their innocence.

The LACC accused the company of not delivering petroleum products to the Margibi Health Team as agreed upon in a government contract. The company is among a dozen individuals, main health administrators, and entities that have been caught in an alleged web of corruption in Margibi County.

However, Karnue maintained that they have evidence, such as delivery slips, to show that all goods were indeed supplied according to the contract. He expressed disappointment in how the LACC handled the situation, claiming they were not given a fair opportunity to present their side before facing legal action.

“The allegation against us is a diabolical lie and had no truth because we have all their delivery slips to prove our innocence,” Karnue said. “If the LACC had in possession any document linking us to theft or conniving with the Margibi Health Team of cheating the government, they should have contacted us to get our side before going to court or the press. But surprisingly, we were summoned to the court — for what reason? We don’t know.”

According to the CEO, in 2022, God’s Willing Inc. won a bid of over US$94,000 from the Ministry of Health to supply about 18,000 gallons of petroleum products to the Margibi Health Team, where all the goods were delivered and the delivery notes are on hand 100%.

“From the day we signed the contract agreement with the Ministry of Health and based on the contract, the numbers of goods we were supposed to supply had all been supplied and we have all the documents with us,” CEO Karnue said.

He reiterated his great disappointment in the LACC for acting unfairly to them and also tarnishing their character, which had caused great embarrassment and their customers.

“We are law-abiding citizens and so every transaction we did was legal and documented, so anything that did go well with the LACC, regarding our distribution, we should have been invited to see our documents and if we are guilty then, of course, we can be publicized, but this didn’t happen until we started hearing our names in the press,” he said.

“Upon invitation, we visited the LACC office twice last year at which time they were in leadership transition and were told to go wait because they were in transition period we were to be invited, surprisingly to see an indictment from the court and putting us in the press,” he said.

The entity had also embarked on the construction of hotels and other housing projects, but the implications for stealing are likely to affect the reputation of the entity to its suppliers and the public at large.

The company, known for distributing petroleum products in various Liberian counties, including Nimba, Bong, Margibi, and Montserrado, is confident in its ability to refute the allegations and maintain its reputation in the industry. 

The proprietor said he is confident of winning the case, adding, “We are sure of winning the legal battle with LACC,” he said.