The trial of the former Managing Director of the Forestry Development Authority (FDA), Moses Wogbeh and four others is entertaining more testimonies that might further implicate the indictees as two of the state witnesses have presented fresh pieces of evidence linking them to US$6m.

The current Managing Director of the Forestry Development Authority (FDA), Harrison S. Karnwea and James Dorbor Jallah Tuesday morning provided separate testimonies linking the men to multiple offenses at   Criminal Court “C” at the Temple of Justice.
 
Defendant Wogbeh and others are on trial for allegedly issuing fraudulent Private Use Permits (PUP) to several logging companies from April 2010 to December 2011 that caused the government to lose US$6m in revenues.
 
The state second witness James Dorbor Jallah stated Tuesday that he was presenting as chairman of the Special Independent Investigation Body (SIIB) set up by the President and mandated to review the issuance of the Private Use Permits. According to him, the SIIB used five methods to derive its findings.
 
“Interview was conducted in person and recording was done. Each of the interviewee was duly informed that the interview was recorded for report and could be used in further investigation” said witness Jallah.
 
Jallah indicated that from the findings of the body, it was discovered that the Management of the Forestry Development (FDA) colluded with some officials of the Ministry of Lands & Mines and logging companies to violate the Forestry Law.
 
He continued that for defendant Maxwell Gwee investigation uncovered verification letters under his signatures which were forged.
 
 For defendant Jangar Kamara, Mr. Jallah said their investigation uncovered that at the time of the imposition of the moratorium by the President, he wrote a communication to the FDA authorizing the violation of the moratorium.
 
Again, witness Jallah told the court that defendant John Kantor personally received money from some logging companies and Mr. David Blayee, former Surveyor of Grand Bassa County, arbitrarily issued certificate of correction without regards to the Forestry Law.
 
Earlier, state witness Harrison S. Karnwea, who was the first to provide testimonies, had gone to the court to testify on the internal working and legal framework of the Forestry Development Authority (FDA).

Witness Karnwea said he has been serving the FDA in the last two years and seven months and as managing director his job is to provide leadership for the management team and that he knew some of the defendants.
“I met some of the defendants at FDA and they served under me as managers, Jangar Kamara, John Kantor and my own brother Moses Wogbeh who I have known for the last 20 years”, said Karnwea.
 
 He stated that the FDA was established by the Government of Liberia through an act of the National Legislature to manage the forestry sector of the country to benefit Liberians now and in the generations to come.
 
He stated that the National Forestry Reform Law (2006) and the Community Rights Law (2009) were the various regulators and the instruments that authorized the FDA to issue the five different licenses.
Karnwea named the five licenses as the Forest Management Contract (FMC), which is issued through the Public Procurement & Concession Commission (PPCC) processes before it is awarded and the other as the Timber Sale Contract (TSC) issue to land of 5,000 hectares.

Karnwea also named the fourth license as the Private Use Permit (PUP), which he said is given to private individuals and further explained that before awarding the contract to them, they have to present a business plan that shows that they have the financial capacity to adequately manage the PUP license and meet all requirements to include the social environmental impact report from the Environment Protection Agency (EPA).
 
According to the FDA boss the fifth license is the Community Forest Management Agreement (CFMA) intended for the community. He said, when this license is awarded by the FDA there should a non-refundable fee of US$250 and that notice is placed in the community for a period of one-month to show there is no protest action from the community.