Published: January 21, 2025
MONROVIA – Madam Marlene Wogbeh, the Director of Budget at the National Elections Commission (NEC), complied with security’s request for a search of a suspicious box she was transporting last Thursday from the Commission’s headquarters. The box contained church documents, albeit amid controversies.
The Liberian Investigator’s sources who followed the confrontation between Wogbeh and security personnel at the main gate of the Commission’s headquarters expressed concerns that she might have been smuggling financial documents. Their suspicions were heightened by her initial refusal to allow the security team to search the box.
The January 17 edition of The Liberian Investigator featured a front-page headline exposing an alleged attempt by Madam Marlene Wogbeh to smuggle NEC financial documents. This incident followed President Joseph Nyumah Boakai’s indefinite suspension of Madam Davidetta Browne-Lansanah, Chairperson of the Commission.
The article, titled “NEC Budget Director Reportedly Smuggling Documents,” also gave Madam Wogbeh an opportunity to present her side of the story. In a brief telephone response, Wogbeh denied the allegations, calling them false, and requested that The Liberian Investigator visit her office for clarification.
In pursuit of balanced and accurate reporting, The Liberian Investigator visited the NEC headquarters over the weekend, particularly the finance office, to hear from Wogbeh.
From the onset, Wogbeh was non-compliant and uncooperative. She stated, “I don’t have anything to say to you as a journalist. I do not speak for the Commission. I am not talking to you.” Wogbeh claimed her accusers were attempting to tarnish her hard-earned reputation, asserting that she would not allow them to succeed through the media.
A colleague of Wogbeh’s, who preferred anonymity, urged her to clarify the matter. “This is not an institutional issue but one concerning your reputation. You need to speak to clear the doubts and speculations already circulating,” the colleague advised.
After some hesitation, Wogbeh agreed to speak but insisted on doing so in the presence of Cllr. P. Teplah Reeves, Co-chairperson of the NEC, in whose office the seized box had been kept pending a search.
When the box was brought out, Wogbeh became upset and belligerent. She tussled with security officers assigned to open the box in the presence of witnesses, including representatives of The Liberian Investigator. She angrily emptied the box onto the floor in the corridor outside the Board of Commissioners’ offices and physically assaulted an officer who tried to prevent her from doing so.
After calming down, Wogbeh accompanied the security team to their booth, where the contents of the box were reviewed. The box contained church documents belonging to the Knights of St. John, including receipts and record books.
When asked why she had refused to comply with security at the gate, Wogbeh stated that she felt angry and troubled by what she described as harassment.
Tatu Fahnbulleh, the deputy commander of NEC security, explained that the NEC finance official failed to respect security protocols.
“We are not targeting anyone. We are simply doing our job, which applies to everyone, whether outsiders or NEC staff. Given the current crisis at the Commission, we must ensure that nothing criminal happens,” Fahnbulleh emphasized.
He noted that with numerous allegations of wrongdoing under Madam Davidetta Browne-Lansanah’s stewardship, it was essential to protect NEC property and ensure accountability.
“We received intelligence that a box was being loaded into a pickup used by the director, and she was making her way out with it. That was enough to alert us to act,” Fahnbulleh added.
He expressed disappointment at Wogbeh’s behavior, saying, “If there was nothing improper in the box, why resist or fight security personnel?”
A source from the Commission’s security team shared with The Liberian Investigator that on the night of Wednesday, January 15, Madam Lansanah and Anthony Sengbeh, NEC’s Executive Director, attempted to enter the Commission’s premises but were stopped by security. This incident occurred after Madam Lansanah’s suspension by the President earlier that day.
“Whatever their reasons for going there at that hour, it couldn’t have been good—possibly an attempt to destroy evidence. But we are watching,” the source alleged.
Madam Davidetta Browne-Lansanah is accused of working closely with the finance department to execute several unverified financial transactions without the Board of Commissioners’ approval.
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