Senator Milton Gbezohngar Findley, a signatory to the Memorandum of Understanding between the Liberian Agriculture Company and the Liberian government has voted out as Chairman of the Grand Bassa caucus in the legislature.

Agriculture Minister, Dr. Christopher Toe, Information Minister, Dr. Laurance Bropleh, Superintendent Julia Duncan Cassell and Senior Senator Gbezohngar Findley have gone to the area on public awareness campaign as to the benefits that the residents will accrue from the MOU signed between LAC and the Government.

However, in a statement signed a short while ago by all members of the County’s Legislative Caucus, excluding Senator Findley, called upon the Government of President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf to annul the purported agreement.

The statement signed by District #1 Representative, Samuel Page, District #2 Representative, Vinicius Hodges, District #3 Representative, Byron Brown (some proxy signed), District #4 Representative Gabriel Smith and attested by Junior Senator Nathaniel Innis, they claimed that the residents and citizens who were adversely affected by the actions of Senator Findley and other officials were neither consulted, nor were members of the caucus, especially the direct representative of the affected people, District #3 Representative Byron Browne.

“The agreement attested to by Senator Findley, as Senior Senator of Grand Bassa County, is at best clouded with suspicion of corruption, abuse of human rights, disregard for the rule of law, and brought shame and disgrace to the people of Grand Bassa County,” the Statement continued.

Supporting Documents: Senator Findley Removal

It furthered: “The agreement is unlawful in that it authorizes a private business (LAC) to evict Liberian citizens without resort to the law, and that the Justice Minister has opined in August 2006 that LAC is not entitled to the native people land in question, and there was no renegotiation of LAC’s Concession Agreement, as mandated by the Concession Agreement itself; and

“As a result of the action of Senator Findley and the other government officials, the native people of District #4, Grand Bassa County, are being blamed for the killing of Mr. Bruno Michiels, a European Manager at LAC, and consequently they have been beaten, tortured and jailed, the statement noted.

The Legislative Caucus said, “We call upon the Government of President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf to annual the purported agreement between LAC and the Government, authorizing LAC to evict our citizens, as if it were never signed, as what is not done right is not done at all.

They also called on the Justice Ministry to conduct a comprehensive investigation into the death of Mr. Bruno Michiels which they condemned in the strongest terms. “The investigation should include those LAC’s Plant Protection Officers and others who accompanied Mr. Michiels to the bush on the day that he was killed, who in the eyes of the law should be the prime suspects,” the statement said.

“We call upon the Justice Ministry to investigate events leading to the signing of the purported agreement between the LAC and the Government to determine the extent of violation of the laws of Liberia and what crimes were committed in the process,” the statement concluded.

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