The Health Minister of the republic of Liberia Dr. Wilhemina Jallah has instructed the County Health Officer for Montserrado, Dr. Yatta Wapoe, to return the donation of US$7,500 made by Senator Abraham Darius Dillon, senator of Montserrado County to help in the covid-19 response in the county.
Senator Dillon made the donation Friday, June 18, 2021, and disclosed that the money was part of the US$15,000 received by members of the Legislature for Legislative engagements. Senator Dillon told reporters after the donation, “We remitted $7,500.00USD from the much talk-about $15K to aid their service to humanity. Remaining $7,500.00USD to be remitted to needy hospitals and other related institutions”.
He made the donation barely a few hours following the announcement of stringent measurements to help curb the third wave of the virus in the country. However, the Minister of Health who also heads of the Incident Management System (IMS) has instructed the County Health Officer for Montserrado County to return the amount to the Senator, noting that its source is questionable.
In a communication to Dr. Wapoe, the Health Minister stated, “While the IMS appreciates Mr. Dillon’s kind gesture, the IMS, however, wishes to inform you that she CANNOT accept such a donation from the Senator or any other legislator at a time of ongoing polemic and public outcry concerning the source and exact of the funds.
The communication further states: “We are aware of members of the National Legislature receiving USD15, 000 (Fifteen Thousand United States Dollars) for purposes not clearly defined.
Therefore, we firmly encourage the Senator to consider other priorities than dragging the IMS into the US$15,000 controversy.” Dr. Jallah noted that the IMS receives donations from individuals and organizations but is cautious of the source of the resources, despite its Challenges.
