Monrovia – Jacqueline E. Khoury, a former Board member of the National Oil Company of Liberia (NOCAL) has questioned the accuracy of the report Special Presidential Committee on their investigation into the Global Witness’ revelation on sale of Block-23.
She was listed by the Committee has one of several Board Members who received bonuses for signing off on the sale of the oil block. The Committee, in its report, corroborated the Global Witness’ report and recommended that officials who received any form of money during that period should be made to restitute the amount or be charged with economic sabotage.
“I did not serve on the NOCAL Board in April of 2013, and I did not receive a bonus. I was appointed to the Board September of 2013,” Ms. Khoury wrote in a letter to the Special Presidential Committee.
“I served on the Board of a legitimate public corporation, and not a criminal enterprise. Although I was not a member of the NOCAL Board during the period when the transactions in question arose, I served proudly as an Advisor to the then Chairman of the Board. I did not receive any bonus payments for participating in the transaction. I am therefore repeating my demand that you formally retract your inclusion of my name in your document, exonerate me from your recommendation for punitive action, and publish your statement in the major newspapers of Liberia, as well as Bloomberg News, where I first learned of the inaccurate inclusion of my name in your document,” she wrote.
The seasoned oil expert said allegations contained in the Global Witness report cannot be taken lightly globally, therefore, there’s the need for follow up investigation to be more careful with facts and ensure that their report is a true representation of truth and accuracy.
Khoury: “The petroleum industry is vast, layered and complex. It is unique in its global reach and strategic importance. To a layperson, especially one given the tight constraint of a 2 weeks mandate to “determine the authenticity of the GW allegations” and when appropriate, “proffer possible recommendations where necessary”, the issues may seem surface and contained only within the Liberian vernacular, but it is not. The Global Witness Report has far-reaching implications and if proven accurate, diminish the future of Liberia’s oil program greatly. Your Report, therefore, cannot and should not contain inaccuracies.”
The oil executive contended that her membership on the Board of NOCAL was legitimate, as NOCAL wasn’t a criminal enterprise.
She insisted that as Advisor to the then Chairman of NOCAL, she never participated in Block-13 transaction.
“No institution is created perfect, but the wrongdoings assigned NOCAL, and the punitive damages recommended against those who served Liberia while re-negotiating the Block LB13 Contract by your Special Presidential Committee Report does a disservice to the future of Liberia’s oil program. As the Fiscal Regime Comparative Chart above demonstrates, those who served on the NOCAL Board and the HTC at the time negotiated one of the best globally recognized production-sharing agreements. It is the strength of the negotiations and the strength of the agreement reached, that brought maximum benefit to Liberia,” she noted in the letter to the Special Presidential Committee
