MONROVIA, Montserrado – The presidential taskforce appointed by President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf to investigate former and current government officials implicated in the recent Global Witness Report has obtained two search warrants for Sen. Varney Sherman’s home and his law firm, Sherman and Sherman.

Additionally, the chair of the taskforce, Fonati Koffa, said they had begun an operation to arrest and bring in for questioning individuals believed to be associated with criminal activities specified in the report.

Global Witness, a corruption watchdog that focuses mostly on investigating the exploitation of natural resources released a report implicating key government officials for corruption including Speaker of the House Alex Tyler, Sen. Varney Sherman, Sen. Cletus Wotorson, and Sen. Sumo Kupee.

The report alleged that in 2010, the British Company Sable Mining hired Sherman, Chairman of the ruling Unity Party to secure the Wologizi iron ore concession in northern Liberia.

Following the report’s release, Sherman had repeatedly said that he would not submit himself to the taskforce, stressing if the government had a case against him, he should be taken to court.

House Speaker Tyler, who had earlier said that he was not going to submit to the taskforce, has now reportedly appeared before that body for investigation.

On Monday, May 23, 2016, at a hastily arranged press conference at the Ministry of Information, Koffa explained activities that took place at Sherman’s residence that morning.

Koffa said at 5:00 a.m., agents of the Liberia Anti-Corruption Commission started arresting individuals for questioning. He said the operation is continuing, pointing out that “at 10 a.m. on the same Monday, the chief prosecutor at the Ministry of Justice Daku Mulbah obtained a search and seizure warrants.”

“The taskforce will continue with the process until it is concluded,” Koffa said.

He maintained that the taskforce’s intention was not to embarrass individuals linked to the report but wanted the accused’s cooperation.

“As a result of the taskforce’s action on Monday morning and because of the continuing operations of the LACC investigators, the taskforce is grateful that numerous persons named in the report have called to voluntarily submit to further interrogation by the taskforce,” Koffa asserted.

He emphasized that as a result of the alleged individuals wanting to voluntarily submit to further interrogation to the taskforce, further arrests may not be necessary and that the body will begin to schedule those named in the report to conclude the investigative face of the exercise and proceed to the prosecutorial face.

“It is important that the process is about the rule of law and if anyone obstructs the law enforcement officers in an attempt in executing their duty, such person will be guilty of obstruction of justice,” he added.

He also advised all individuals to refrain with law enforcement activities.