BONG COUNTY SUPERINTENDENT THREATENS LEGAL ACTIONS AGAINST COMPANIES WITH UNFINISHED PROJECTS
By Matalay Kollie
Bong: County Superintendent Hawah Norris has threatened to take legal action against companies that received monies for projects and failed to complete said projects during past administrations.
According to Superintendent Norris, an assessment audit is currently ongoing in the county to capture projects awarded to companies during past administrations.Madam Norris said upon the completion of the assessment, companies that will be caught in violation of previous agreements will be taken to task to account for monies received or be compelled to live up to said agreements.
“Currently, there is an assessment ongoing across the county to capture projects that were awarded to companies during past administrations. Any company that will be caught in violation of previous agreements will be taken to task or compelled to live up to said agreements” Supt. Norris added.
Superintendent Norris’ warning is being made at a time when many Bongese and Civil Society Organizations in the county have raised concerns about the awarding of contracts to companies that have allegedly received funding from the county account and failed to complete those projects.
Recently, the DELTAL-Human Rights Foundation, a Civil Society Organization operating in the county, filed a legal complaint to the Liberia Anti-Corruption Commission (LACC), calling on the Anti graph institution to launch an investigation into controversies surrounding the awarding of the superintendent compound’s revocation contract to JAMCO Construction Company.
JAMCO Construction Company, during the administration of former Superintendent Esther Walker in 2020, received US$50,000 from the county’s account for the renovation of the superintendent compound but has since failed to complete the project until the inception of Superintendent Norris’ administration that later awarded the same contract to JAMCO.
Besides others bution of the superintendent compound, JAMCO Construction Company was awarded four other contracts in 2020 in Kokoyah District, including the construction of Ula Town Clinic, Batawee Elementary School, and Malonkai Elementary School, amongst others, but reported failure to complete any of those projects.
Moreover, with the exception of JAMCO Construction Company, Bong Engineering Company, Korlah and Son Construction Company, GEOXSOPE Limited and Essay Brothers Builders are companies that were awarded separate contracts in 2020, but are yet to complete those projects. When asked about the awarding of contracts to companies under her leadership, Supt. Norris said all contracts being awarded by her administration are done in line with the Public Procurement Concession Commission (PPCC) Act.
She furthered that the awarding of the superintendent compound renovation to JAMCO was done through agreement because JAMCO had earlier received monies for the contract; as such, awarding such a contract to another company would be a waste of funding.
Madam Norris clarified that the previous money received by JAMCO was deducted from the new contract’s monies.
