Published: July 16, 2025
MONROVIA – President Joseph Boakai has formally cut ties with Abdullah Kamara, the embattled Acting Chairman of the Liberia Telecommunications Authority (LTA), following months of mounting pressure over his alleged role in a fraud scheme at the entity.
In a move that ends Kamara’s controversial tenure at the regulatory agency, the President on has nominated Commissioner Clarence Massaquoi as the new Chairman of the LTA, effectively closing the door on Kamara’s return after his suspension. Kamara, who also heads the private technology firm TAMMA Corporation, is facing criminal indictment.
The President’s decision comes as Kamara reportedly faces a pending arrest warrant following a reported indictment for theft, economic sabotage, criminal conspiracy, and misuse of entrusted public funds in connection with the Liberia Digital Transformation Project (LDTP). Judiciary sources confirmed to The Liberian Investigator that Kamara had been reportedly seeking a secret out-of-court settlement to avoid indictment. His attempts, however, did not materialize, sources say.
Though Kamara was not part of the LTA leadership when the transactions occurred, the revelation that his private company benefited from unauthorized disbursements totaling more than L$178 million and US$440,000 has cast a shadow over his role as regulator. His suspension and subsequent replacement mark the latest twist in the ongoing scandal surrounding the Liberia Digital Transformation Project (LDTP), a government-backed initiative meant to modernize the country’s digital infrastructure.
Damning Audit, Rising Suspicion
The General Auditing Commission’s report, released in September 2024, was commissioned by President Boakai shortly after taking office. The audit exposed a network of irregular payments from the LTA to two entities—TAMMA Corporation, owned by Kamara, and 231 Data Incorporated, linked to U.S.-based Liberian Niahson K. Porte—without any trace of contracts, procurement records, or proof of deliverables.
Between July and November 2023, the GAC said the LTA disbursed L$262,844,500 and US$450,000 to both companies. The payments occurred during the final months of the Weah administration and spilled over into the transition period before the Unity Party government took office.
The report further revealed that Kamara, then operating solely as CEO of TAMMA Corporation, was a signatory to the LDTP account, raising serious conflict-of-interest concerns. The other signatory was the then-LTA Chairperson, Edwina Zarkpah.
“There was no evidence of how TAMMA Corporation and 231 Data Incorporated were selected,” the GAC report stated. “There were no contracts, no procurement processes, and no accountability mechanisms in place.”
Suspended Board, Controversial Promotion
Following the report, President Boakai in late 2024 suspended the entire five-member LTA Board of Commissioners, which included Israel Akinsanya, Zotawon Titus, Cllr. Osborne Diggs, James Gbarwea, and Chairperson Zarkpah. The decision was intended to restore integrity to the embattled institution.
However, in a surprising move that sparked sharp criticism from civil society and political observers, Kamara—whose company was one of the beneficiaries of the unauthorized payments—was appointed Acting Chairman of the new LTA board.
That appointment drew further backlash when the four previously suspended commissioners issued a joint statement disavowing any knowledge of the payments or the project itself.
“The Board can therefore not provide justification for facilitating disbursement of monies to both TAMMA Corporation and 231 Data Incorporated,” they wrote. “The Board knows nothing about the project.”
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