10.01.2013 Views

The_Open_Door_deel1

The_Open_Door_deel1

The_Open_Door_deel1

SHOW MORE
SHOW LESS

You also want an ePaper? Increase the reach of your titles

YUMPU automatically turns print PDFs into web optimized ePapers that Google loves.

-291-<br />

alleged corruption involving these officials of the Ministry of<br />

Agriculture further showed that they had also acquired interests<br />

in other logging companies (66).<br />

In the Liberian & Overseas Venture Corporation (see Annex 19)<br />

Alfred Sayeh, George Fully and Anthony Gorgla had used their<br />

wives' and daughters' names as partners and shareholders of<br />

the company (LOVGO). Ownership of LOVCO was as follows:<br />

Robert Mimran (50?), Jacques Mimran (25?)(both French Nationals),<br />

Priscilla Togba-Sayeh (8?), Josetta Fully (5?), Teresa<br />

Gorgla (5?) and Toye C Bernard (7?). LOVCO had obtained a<br />

200,000 acre concession area in Grand Gedeh County on May 15,<br />

1973.<br />

A third timber company, involved In the investigation was<br />

"Tripple Enterprises", <strong>The</strong> three partners in the corporation were<br />

Alfred Sayeh, who had used the name A. Doh Tieh (45?), T. Wreh<br />

Giple (Surveyer Bureau of Forestry) (10?) and Biraham Diague<br />

(45?). <strong>The</strong> last-mentioned was also Manager of the Cestos Nimba<br />

Corporation, another logging company. Alfred Sayeh was alleged to<br />

be the sole owner of Tripple Enterprises but this information<br />

could not be confirmed (67), When Mr. Diagne was approached by<br />

investigators of the N, S, A. to present his 45? shareholder in<br />

Tripple Enterprises he left the country the following day for the<br />

U.S.A. after making an appointment with the investigators to<br />

present the purported "A. Doh Tieh".<br />

Tripple Enterprises had obtained a timber concession agreement<br />

on August 8, 1973• <strong>The</strong> concession area of 75,000 acres was<br />

located in Bong and Grand Bassa Counties (later, on February 1,<br />

1975, an addendum to the concession agreement added 55,000 acres<br />

southwest of the Krahn-Bassa National Forest, plus 75,000 acres,<br />

the Cestos Option Area - located east of the Cestos River).<br />

Alfred Sayeh was involved in yet a fourth logging company. JLAO<br />

Enterprises Inc., of which he was Vice-President and a<br />

shareholder (see Annex 19). <strong>The</strong> shareholders of JLAO were:<br />

Dr. Joseph N. Togba (40?), father-in-law of Alfred Sayeh, the<br />

latter held 30? of the shares. (Togba is the person also<br />

mentioned in connection with the Kitoma Mining Company, see<br />

Chapter 8). J. Broh Kieh and J, Wleh Togba II held 18%, and 12?<br />

of the shares respectively. <strong>The</strong> concession agreement (dated May<br />

31, 1973) granted a concession area (Area "A") of 200,000 acres<br />

in Sasstown Territory and Sinoe County, with an adjacent option<br />

area of another 200,000 acres (Area "B"). After the signing of<br />

the agreement and its approval by President Tolbert (August 8,<br />

1973) it was found out that JLAO's concession area overlapped<br />

43,000 acres of another logging company's concession area in<br />

Sinoe County. This company, the Matro Lumber Company, was owned<br />

by Harrison Grigsby, a Senator for Sinoe County (also a former<br />

Secretary of Interior, see Chapter 5) and Edwina Greene, the<br />

daughter of Liberia's Vice President. <strong>The</strong>y had obtained a timber<br />

concession agreement for 173,300 acres in Matroe Chiefdom, Sinoe

Hooray! Your file is uploaded and ready to be published.

Saved successfully!

Ooh no, something went wrong!