Dear Readers,
When truth becomes inconvenient, the dishonest don’t correct the record—they attempt to rewrite it. But not on our watch.
Since the publication of our April 16 interview with Public Procurement and Concessions Commission (PPCC) Executive Director, Mr. Bodger Scott Johnson, we’ve witnessed a spectacular display of bureaucratic cowardice. First, Mr. Johnson denied ever speaking to The Liberian Investigator. Then, after the release of the audio, which clearly captured him stating that his office had no knowledge of the Yellow Machines deal, he changed his tune again—claiming the conversation was “old” and “from last year.”
If that is true, Mr. Johnson, then we ask: why has this recording never surfaced anywhere before our publication? Why has it never been referenced, leaked, or heard by any media outlet, institution, or member of the public? If this recording is truly from last year, how did it remain hidden—silent—until the exact moment your own words contradicted your press statement?
This is no longer a mere contradiction. It is a pattern of deception. And Mr. Johnson’s clumsy backpedaling, now on public display, is a direct insult to the intelligence of the Liberian people.
Audio of Mr. Bodger Scott Johnson
We stand firm that this interview was conducted on Wednesday, April 16, 2025. It was conducted over the phone. It was recorded. The audio quality is clean. The date stamp on our digital recorder is intact. And yes—Mr. Johnson was fully aware he was speaking on the record. If he believes otherwise, we challenge him to publish his call logs for April 16. We are prepared to do the same.
What Mr. Johnson and the PPCC have done is not just lie—they’ve tried to turn the truth into a political chess piece. But truth, dear readers, is not negotiable. It does not bow to pressure. And it does not change with press releases.
This is debecale is about the Yellow Machines deal—an alleged procurement transaction reportedly worth US$22 million, a staggering discount from the initial US$80 million proposed for the same equipment. Who approved this deal? Where are the bidding records? Who reviewed the cost adjustments? Where are the contracts? Was due process followed?
The PPCC should have these answers. That is, after all, their job. But instead of demanding transparency from those involved, Mr. Johnson is spending his time trying to discredit the press for exposing what he himself said.
We find it deeply troubling that a man entrusted with safeguarding procurement integrity would stoop to such dishonesty. It raises a more dangerous possibility: has the PPCC, under this leadership, become complicit in the very mismanagement it was created to prevent?
Mr. Johnson, your attempt to smear this institution will fail. You do not get to revise your own quotes. You do not get to cast doubt on facts simply because they expose your discomfort. And you most certainly do not get to bully the press into silence.
To the Liberian public: this is not merely a fight between a newspaper and a government appointee. This is a fight for the soul of public accountability. Every time a public official lies with impunity, democracy takes a hit. Every time a watchdog agency becomes a lapdog for political convenience, the rot deepens. And every time a journalist is forced to prove the truth against deliberate denial, the republic slides further into peril.
This newspaper will not yield. We are not in the business of retractions designed to soothe fragile egos. We deal in evidence. We report the truth. And when that truth is denied, we publish it again—louder, clearer, and without apology.
We repeat: publish the documents. Open the process. Reveal the facts. Words about transparency must become action—or they are meaningless.
As for Mr. Johnson and his office: you can continue issuing denials, but we will continue releasing facts. Because in the end, one of us is working to inform the public—and the other is working desperately to keep them in the dark.
The Liberian Investigator is not afraid of the dark. We light it up.
History is watching. And so are we.
Lennart Dodoo
Managing Editor
The Liberian Investigator
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