Liberian President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf appoints son head of country's Central Bank

The Lady and her sons
... run things in Liberia

 
Credit: TLC Africa
Charles, Robert, Fumba, Adamah & Jes Sirleaf

Liberia's central bank board has elected the son of Nobel Peace Prize winning President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf as its interim executive governor, bank sources said on Wednesday.


Photo: .nobelprize.org
A defiant President Sirleaf Johnson refuses to back down from the appointment.

' President Sirleaf was heavily criticized in the past for the appointment of Rob-her favorite son, Mr.  Robert A. Sirleaf, as Chairman of the Board of Directors of the National Oil Company of Liberia (NOCAL) and as Senior Advisor to President Johnson-Sirleaf.   Although at the time she already had  two other sons serving in the government in persons of Fomba Sirleaf, head of the National Security Agency (NSA) and Charles Sirleaf, Deputy Governor of the Central Bank of Liberia (CBL).'


Credit: FrontPagefrica

Charles Sirleaf, left, Robert Sirleaf, right.

Charles Sirleaf(L) Robert (R)




Charles Sirleaf, formerly a deputy governor who has worked for the bank since 2004, will occupy the post for an undefined interim period. The previous head, Joseph Mills Jones, left to prepare his candidacy for a presidential election in the West African country due to take place in 2017.
President Johnson Sirleaf, who has strong ties with Washington and is credited with helping the country recover from a bloody civil war that ended in 2003, must step down next year due to a two-term limit.
She is due to decide on a permanent successor to Jones, to steer Liberia's economic recovery after two years in which the country endured an Ebola epidemic and a collapse in the price of iron ore, its major export earner.
A source close to the presidency confirmed the temporary appointment, without giving an indication of how long he would remain.
Some critics accuse Johnson Sirleaf of appointing family members and other allies to key posts throughout her presidency in order to consolidate her position.
 
Credit: heritage liberia.net
The President’s appointment of Rob to chair the board of the NOCAL resulted in cries of nepotism and corruption, something that prompted his resignation from the two portfolios. 
 
Another one of her sons, Robert, was both chairman of the National Oil Company of Liberia and senior adviser to the president until he resigned in 2013. Fumba Sirleaf, her stepson, is the head of the National Security Agency.
"This (appointment at the central bank) is unfair. It is not about qualifications, but about expediency," said Emmanuel Gonquoi, former chairman for the coalition of civil society in Liberia and a political commentator.
However, central bank officials stressed that Charles Sirleaf was a suitable choice.

Courtesy:  Reuters