Monrovia, Liberia – President Joseph Nyuma Boakai, Sr., has suspended Samuel Dean, Executive Director of the National Commission on Disabilities (NCD), amid allegations of massive corruption and prolonged internal unrest that culminated in public protests by staff and disability advocates.
The suspension, announced Tuesday from the Executive Mansion, also affects Deputy Executive Director Winifred Paye, and follows recommendations from a Special Investigative Committee established to examine complaints of financial mismanagement, abuse of authority, and institutional breakdown at the Commission.
For weeks, employees and members of the disability community staged demonstrations at the Executive Mansion, the Ministerial Complex, and other public spaces, accusing Dean of misusing funds meant for persons with disabilities and running the Commission in an opaque and hostile manner. Protesters further alleged that their concerns were repeatedly dismissed and that they were publicly insulted and intimidated by the suspended Executive Director.
Public outrage intensified after Dean allegedly downplayed the protests and rejected calls for accountability, prompting disability rights groups to demand presidential intervention.
In response, President Boakai ordered the General Auditing Commission (GAC) to conduct a comprehensive audit of the NCD, signaling what many observers see as one of the strongest anti-corruption actions yet within the institution.
To stabilize operations, the President appointed Apostle J. Aaron Wright, Sr. as Acting Executive Director and Emary Amos Jessie as Acting Deputy Executive Director.
“This administration will not tolerate corruption or the mistreatment of Liberia’s most vulnerable populations,” a senior government official said, noting that the investigation would proceed without interference.
The development has been welcomed by disability advocacy groups, who say it offers renewed hope for reform and justice within an institution meant to protect their rights.
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