According to Deputy Information Minister Isaac Jackson, those attaching names to ‘Big Boy One and Two’ are inviting trouble on themselves as they are knowingly tampering with the hard earned reputation and integrity of highly-placed leaders, without evidence.
He is accordingly cautioning them to desist or face the wrath of the law.
He sounded the warning during the regular Ministry of Information press briefing in Monrovia recently.
“Government is very serious about this report and is investigating bit-by-bit to get to the bottom of the report,” Jackson said.
Global Witness alleged in its report that top officials of the Liberian government, including House Speaker Alex Tyler and Grand Cape Mount County Senator Varney Sherman took bribes from Sable Mining, a British mining company.
The report also names some of the bribe recipients as ‘Big Boy 1’ and 'Big Boy 2’ without naming them specifically, leaving room for speculations.
Government is calling on the media and private citizens to do away with speculations that expose highly-placed leaders of the country to rediclue, and allow conversations surrounding the report to be responsible and evidence-based.
“We hear now people calling names. This one is ‘Big Boy One’ and that other is ‘Big Boy Two’. Do you have evidence? Even the person who spoke publically from Global Witness stopped short of attaching names to ‘Big Boy One’ and ‘Big Boy Two’ because they have no substantial evidence to indicate, and convincingly too, that A,B,C,D persons are ‘Big Boy One and Two,” Jackson noted.
He pointed out that freedom of speech is not the absence of responsibility, and that no one is above the law, adding, “Unless people avoid making incriminatory accusations, the law could be used to arrest the situation.”
According to the Deputy MICAT boss, there is a controlling law that deals with misconduct, reckless and irresponsible statements against which it cautions citizens.
“Free speech goes with corresponding responsibilities and that there is no absolutism in the exercise of free speech; so we do not want to be seen as trampling upon free speech and advise that you desist (from making incriminatory statements),” he admonished citizens.
LINA BMK/TSS/PTK