Monrovia, Liberia — the standard barrel of the People’s Party, Hon. Joseph Bannie has sharply criticized Mulbah Molu, former Chairman of the Coalition for Democratic Change (CDC), holding him politically and morally accountable for a disturbing series of unresolved deaths that occurred during the CDC-led government of former President George Manneh Weah between 2018 and 2024.
Hon. Bannie accused Molu of attempting to distract the public by attacking the current administration while failing to address serious incidents that took place under his own leadership as chairman of the ruling coalition. According to Hon. Bannie, the deaths cannot be dismissed as coincidence, given the positions many of the victims held within government accountability and auditing institutions.
He questioned why a significant number of those who died were senior officials from agencies responsible for audits, financial oversight, and corruption reporting, arguing that these were individuals with access to sensitive information capable of exposing wrongdoing at the highest levels of government.
Public outrage intensified in October 2020 when four government auditors died within a single week. Albert Peters and Gifty Lama, both auditors at the Liberia Revenue Authority, were found dead inside a parked vehicle in Monrovia. Days later, George F. Fanbutu, another LRA auditor, died from severe head injuries reportedly linked to a traffic accident. Shortly after, Emmanuel Barten Nyeswua, Director-General of the Internal Audit Agency, was found dead outside his residence, with an autopsy that failed to clearly establish a cause of death.
Hon. Bannie maintained that these cases were never thoroughly or transparently resolved, fueling public distrust and widespread belief that powerful interests were being protected.
In addition to the auditors’ cases, Hon. Bannie referenced several other high-profile and mysterious deaths that occurred during the Weah administration. These included the murder of John Hilary Tubman, son of former President William V.S. Tubman, and the killing of William R. Tolbert III, son of former President William R. Tolbert Jr. and a Liberian peace ambassador, both of whom were found dead in their homes.
He also cited the death of Maude Elliot, an immigration officer whose passing was surrounded by unanswered questions, as well as the disappearance of three boys—Siafa Boimah, Robert Blamo Jr., and Bobby Gbeanquoi—in the St. Moses Funeral Parlor case, which authorities ruled accidental drownings despite widespread public skepticism.
Further concerns were raised over the deaths of Matthew Innis, a Central Bank of Liberia official, and Kollie Ballah, a CBL driver, both linked to investigations surrounding the missing L$16 billion saga.
Hon. Bannie accused the former CDC leadership of presiding over a climate of fear, silence, and institutional failure, arguing that instead of decisive action and transparent investigations, the Liberian people were left with unanswered questions and unresolved grief.
He emphasized that political leaders who oversaw the state during these incidents must accept responsibility rather than deflect blame onto the current government. According to Hon. Bannie, Liberia cannot move forward without confronting the painful legacy of unresolved deaths and restoring public confidence in the justice system.
