Gov’t rebukes Weah – Liberia news The New Dawn Liberia, premier resource for latest news

Former President George Manneh Weah’s recent request for 38 officers of the elite Presidential Protection Service for his personal protection has received a sharp reaction from the Government of Liberia, with the new Minister of Information, Jerolinmek Matthew Piah, terming the request as “totally inappropriate.”
By Kruah Thompson 

Monrovia, Liberia, March 20, 2024 –In a sharp rebuke against former President George Weah’s recent demand for additional Executive Protection Service (EPS) personnel, the Minister of Information, Culture Affairs, and Tourism, Jerolinmek Matthew Piah, describes the move as “totally inappropriate.”

Minister Piah says President Weah rejected eight EPS officers assigned to him by the Government of Liberia because he (Mr. Weah) does not know them.

Briefing reporters on Monday, March 18, 2024, in Monrovia, he revealed that Mr. Weah had, instead, requested an additional 38 EPS officers for his personal security. Still, the Minister emphasized that there is no legal mandate that compels the government to provide security for former government officials. 

The ex-president’s rejection of eight EPS officers and the government’s refusal to provide him with 38 officers, as requested by Mr. Weah, is making the former ruling CDC uneasy. Mr. Weah’s Congress for Democratic Change party has vowed to provide him with security.  

The government has clarified that although EPS authorities made recommendations in 2017 to protect past officials, no concrete legislative measures were implemented.

“In 2017, during the transition period, discussions were held to include provisions for protecting former leaders. However, the proposed transitional act did not materialize, leaving no legal framework for such actions,” Minister Piah recalls.

Citing examples, Minister Piah noted that former President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf was initially assigned 15 EPS officers, but several officers withdrew, leaving her with only seven. He further mentioned former Vice President Boakai, now President, who had twelve EPS officers initially, but the Weah government withdrew three of the officers.

Regarding former President Weah’s demand for 38 EPS officers, Minister Piah clarified that the EPS leadership had informed him that such a request would not be fulfilled.

 He underscored that the assignment of EPS personnel falls under the discretion of the President of Liberia and that attempts to codify this discretion in the transitional act under the Ellen administration were unsuccessful.

He maintains that “the protection of former presidents is a matter of common sense and government’s commitment, not legal obligation,” urging Liberians not to politicize matters concerning national security.

Piah reveals that there’s currently an investigation underway. Before President Boakai took office, they noticed that people were employed within the EPS without going through its rank and files or fulfilling recruitment criteria.

Therefore, he added that ongoing efforts to rectify those irregularities within the EPS will ensure that the elite Presidential unit is cleaned up.

In light of the ongoing investigations within the EPS, the spokesman for the Boakai administration underscores that it is imperative that no former government official attempts to dictate the allocation of security personnel because they are only trying to do so as a matter of common sense. Editing by Jonathan Browne