The management of the Henries, Kruah & Associates Law Firm, has rejected media reports of a conflict of interest scandal involving its retainership with the National Port Authority (NPA).
Frontpage Africa Newspaper, in its Thursday, June 27, 2024 edition, claimed to have uncovered a conflict of interest transaction between the law firm and the National Port Authority, in which two checks, US$38,500 and US$15,000, amounting to US$53,000, were issued by the NPA management to the Henries, Kruah & Associates Law Firm, a transaction the paper claims “legal experts” say violates professional standards.
The law firm clarified that all of its transmissions with the NPA as its client are legal and legitimate, and at no time did the two entities ever get involved with illegitimate business.
Henries, Kruah & Associates also stated that Labor Minister, Cllr. Cooper W. Kruah, Sr, whom the paper referenced, is a former partner at the law firm but no longer associates with its activities, neither does he run or control the running of the firm as it’s being insinuated.
The firm also stressed that its legal relationship with the National Port Authority began as far back as 2001, under the signature of its senior partner, Cllr. George E. Henries, and all of its renewals and/or reactivations during the Gyude Bryant, Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, and George Weah administrations bear the signature of Cllr. Henries who is still at the law firm.
The law firm noted that the current NPA management team, headed by Mr. Sekou H. Dukuly, is working with an existing and legitimate agreement that has been signed and confirmed by previous managing directors, including Mr. George Tubman, Matilda Parker, David Williams, and Madam Diana Nebo of both the administrations of President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf and George Manneh Weah.
Henries, Kruah & Associates Law Firm maintained that it is a legal entity that does legitimate business with all of its valuable clients including the National Port Authority.
The law firm advised journalists and media institutions to endeavor to seek clarity on matters before drawing conclusions that have the propensity to injure the reputations of other individuals or institutions.
Meanwhile, a civil society movement, the Independent Civil Society Union of Liberia (ICSUL), has alarmed over what it termed an unwarranted political smear campaign against Labor Minister, Cllr. Cooper W. Kruah, Sr.
Cllr. Kruah who is currently being hailed by many as one of the best-performing officials in the Boakai government so far, has been a target for barrages of what the CSO group described as unsubstantiated and politically inspired propaganda, pregnant with lies, defamations, distortion, and diversionary tactics, since his first nomination by President Boakai as Justice Minister & lAttorney General, and second as Minister of Labor, with the sole intent to destroy his enviable reputation and prevent his valuable contribution to the success of the Rescue Mission.
ICSUL said its decision to address these frivolous and blackmail-driven attacks on Cllr. Kruah, a result-oriented public servant, was provoked by the latest publication (Frontpage Africa, Thursday, June 27, 2024 edition), in which people the civil society group considers political elements and detractors tried once again, in a failed attempt, to link Minister Kruah to a conflict of scandal.
In the publication, Frontpage Africa claims it has uncovered a conflict of interest situation in which two checks, US$38,500 and US$15,000, totaling US$53,000, were issued by the National Port Authority (NPA) management to the Henries, Kruah & Associates Law Firm for “court related matters,” a transaction the paper claims legal experts suggest violates professional standards.
The funds, according to the paper, were compensation for defending the NPA in a case involving 10 employees dismissed by NPA MD Dukuly and had filed for “unlawful dismissals” at the Sixth Judicial Circuit Law Court at the Temple of Justice in Monrovia on March 29, 2024.
But the Independent Civil Society Union of Liberia said these latest attacks on the character of Cllr. Kruah is nothing but a continuation of several failed character-assassination campaigns directed towards him since his nomination and appointment as Minister of Posts & Telecommunications by former President George Weah in 2018 and continued up to his nomination as Minister of Justice and later Minister of Labor earlier this year by President Joseph Nyuma Boakai.
The group has vowed to expose those it referred to as greedy, short-sighted, and politically misguided individuals who feed on disinformation, blackmail, and bootlicking.
The CSO group recalled how Cllr. Kruah, during his confirmation hearing for the Labor Ministry job, addressed the matter about the law firm’s relationship with NPA and other clients, and that every time he’s nominated to a public office, he disconnects himself from the firm as in the case of the Ministry of Posts & Telecommunications and the latest case with his current position as Minister of Labor.
The group argued that Cllr. Kruah, like any other Liberian citizen, has the right to do business, work anywhere in the private sector, and also serve his country in any public capacity he’s qualified for and deems fit, and that his appointment to public office cannot deprive his previous private entity from doing legal and legitimate business with government entities as in the case with the NPA and the Henries, Kruah and Associates Law Firm.
The CSO group cited several examples of how professional individuals who were working for, or running private entities got appointed to public positions and disassociated themselves from the running, control, and other personal interests with those private entities, which is ethically provided for.
The group referenced the current Minister of Justice & Attorney General, Cllr. Oshwad Tweh of the Pierre & Tweh Law Firm. His current role as Minister of Justice will not change the name of the law firm he previously worked for, and it does not also indicate that he takes responsibility for whatever the law firm does.
Other instances cited are former Minister of Health, Dr. Peter Coleman and Malarg Clinic, former Health Minister, Dr. Whilimena Jallah, and the Hope for Women Hospital. In these two and other similar instances, those officials distanced or detached themselves from those private interests, just as Cllr. Kruah has done with the Henries, Kruah & Associates Law Firm, and there has been no record of ethical violation.
The CSO movement also cited former president Donald J. Trump of the United States of America who, in keeping with law, distanced and detached himself from his Trump Towers and other businesses while he was President of the United States.
ICSUL pointed out further that it is obvious and lawful that Cllr. Cooper Kruah’s son, Prince Kruah, a counselor-at-law and member of the Supreme Court Bar, is duly hired by the Henries, Kruah & Associates Law Firm on own merit and performance, along with several other qualified and competent counselors and attorneys at law.
The presence of Cllr. Prince Kruah, according to the CSO group, does not in any way suggest that Minister Cooper W. Kruah, Sr. is still connected to, running, or controlling the affairs of the law firm.
