In a press release issued late Wednesday night, authorities at the William V. S. Tubman University have said the university’s president “has constituted an ‘Independent Committee of Inquiry’ to investigate allegations against a senior staff of the university.”

The university named the staff as Roland T. Barnes, associate vice president for facilities and campus operations. He was accused of receiving kickbacks “from a local construction company, GBECCO, in the tune of US$60,000 out of a sum of US$75,000, intended for the renovation of the engineering building at the main campus of the university.”

Barnes, according to the release, has been suspended, effective immediately and has been ordered to refrain from “interacting with contractors on behalf of the institution, speaking to the press, and the use of official vehicles.” GBECCO has also been ordered to cease all construction activities at the university until the investigation is complete.

The university expects the committee to submit its findings within two weeks. The release said the results of the investigation would be made public, and the appropriate action would be taken “in accordance with TU’s code of conduct and within the framework of the Liberian Law.”

There was no mention of any action taken against Johnny C. Woods, the chief of staff for presidential affairs. He was also implicated in the US$60,000 bribery allegation. However, the university said it “would not hesitate to ask the committee to expand its investigation into such allegations” if additional issues of bribery arise.

The allegations first came to light as a result of a Bush Chicken investigation. Anonymous members of the faculty senate and employees of GBECCO leaked documents and gave interviews that shed light on the bribery.

Although the faculty senate said it also provided the documents to the Liberia Anti-Corruption Commission, there is no indication yet that the commission has begun investigating the case.

Featured photo courtesy of www.futureatlas.com