PAYNESVILLE, Montserrado – Two employees of the Ministry of Commerce and Industry have been arrested for allegedly robbing a business owner.

Inspector Isaac Nyeplu and standard officer Abraham Butler were arrested Thursday by a group of citizens and turned over to the police after they attempted to swindle the owner of Swaba Enterprise, a small provision store on the SD Cooper Road.

Nyeplu and Butler were pretending to carry out a commerce inspection.

The two suspects were charged with robbery, theft, and fraud. They are currently being detained at a police station in Paynesville.

Mohammed Jalloh, the merchant in charge of Swaba Enterprise, said Nyeplu and Butler frequently extorted money and goods from his shop in his absence, pretending as though they were there on behalf of the Ministry of Commerce.

Suspect Abraham Butler. Photo: Gbatemah Senah

He alleged that last November, the men had requested US$75 from his brothers in the store, claiming that there was expired pasta on the shelf. If they gave them the money, they would ignore the expired food. However, Jalloh denies that the pasta was expired, to begin with.

“I was not here, and my brothers do not speak English very well, so they did not want any tension. So, they gave them the money,” Jalloh said.

Before then, he said the men had, on a separate occasion, taken away ten bags of rice from his store as an order from the Commerce authorities.

Jalloh told The Bush Chicken that Nyeplu had attempted to carry out similar acts at his store annex at the Barnesville Junction, but presented an assignment letter bearing the name Abraham Jallah.

The suspects, in conflicting statements, told the police that they had gone to inspect Swaba’s latest business registration documents although they were not on official duty on the day of the incident.

Businessman Mohammed Jalloh. Photo: Gbatemah Senah

They also admitted receiving money from Swaba Enterprise, but it was L$700 (US$6.36) to compensate for expired goods discovered on the shelves.

“They [Swaba] gave us L$700 as compromise. We took the money and left,” Nyeplu wrote. “Today, we came back again for [the] 2017 [business] registration.”

The director of communications for the Ministry of Commerce, Mitchell Jones, confirmed that the two men are employees of the ministry. However, Jones said the ministry has not commenced any inspection for 2017 and that the two men were acting on their own.

“Since we entered into 2017, we have commenced no inspection. Anyone out there claiming to be inspecting on behalf of the Ministry of Commerce, they are doing it at their own risk,” he said.

He said before the ministry carries out any of its quarterly inspections, it duly informs the public through publications and radio announcements.

Jones said while it is regrettable that unscrupulous employees are harassing peaceful and legal business owners, the ministry will not take any definite action against the suspects until a formal complaint can be made.

“It is a violation on the ministry’s procedure order because, in the first place, they had gone out without any authorization. There are penalties for that, but I cannot sit here and just describe to you what will be their penalty,” Jones said. “If that case is brought before the Ministry of Commerce, then, of course, the Ministry of Commerce will take all necessary actions against them.”

Mitchell Jones, Director of Communications, Ministry of Commerce and Industry. Photo: Gbatemah Senah

Jones said what he considers important is the personal transaction between the suspects and the businessman because the two men were arrested as criminals, not as inspectors from the ministry.

For now, he said the only way the ministry will take action against Nyeplu and Butler is if they do not turn in for work on time.

Liberian merchants have long complained about the issue of criminals impersonating customs officers and authorities at the ministry have yet to establish a strong system to detect individuals acting illegally.

Some heads of local businesses who witnessed the incident claim that they have also been robbed by individuals claiming to be customs officers.

According to them, they find it difficult to identify actual custom workers on official duty, given the large number of people who visit their businesses for inspections.

Jones said budget and manpower constraints are a major reason the ministry cannot properly monitor officers in the field.

However, he advised the business community to assist the ministry in tackling the problem.

“So we ask the business community to ask first for letters of assignments from people who come to them in the name of the ministry,” he said. Individuals on official duty from the ministry are identified by their letters of assignment, identification cards, and assigned green jackets, he said.

Featured photo by Cameron Zohoori