An independent investigative panel commissioned by the Press Union of Liberia (PUL) has released a damning report revealing a severe leadership crisis, financial malfeasance, and systemic constitutional violations within the Reporters Association of Liberia (RAL). The investigation, prompted by complaints from journalist J. Yekeh F. Kwaytah and a group calling itself the “Majority Leaders of the RAL,” centered on the administration of RAL President Willie N. Tokpah and Assistant Secretary General Bobby Melvin Tingban.
The report establishes that the RAL is crippled by a deep leadership schism. While President Tokpah and Acting SG Tingban handle operations, other elected officials have abandoned their posts. Vice President Henscin Dehgar is studying long-term in China, and Secretary General Augustine T. Saah now works as a government accountant, leaving his journalism role. Their prolonged absence constitutes a dereliction of duty and a betrayal of the membership that elected them.
Financially, the panel found serious misconduct. US$2,700 of RAL funds went missing while in the personal custody of President Tokpah, who claimed the money was stolen in a fire at his home—a direct violation of the constitution mandating official bank accounts. His claims of restitution were deemed highly questionable due to a lack of documentation. Furthermore, a US$2,000 donation for a training program was improperly routed through the private account of a journalism school operated by Acting SG Tingban, an act the panel described as being in “bad faith.”
The investigation also confirmed that the Tokpah leadership abused its power by violating multiple constitutional provisions concerning elections, financial reporting, and committee appointments.
In response, the panel issued strong recommendations. It calls on the PUL to oversee an immediate democratic transition and election for the RAL, whose current leadership’s tenure has expired. It demands the immediate turnover of the remaining US$1,800 donation to the PUL for safekeeping. The panel also urges the PUL to formally censure the absent officials, Dehgar and Saah, and to help future RAL leadership reform its dues policy to prevent the weaponization of membership status.
The report, signed by the seven-member panel and attested by PUL Vice President Beatrice Tetee Sieh, paints a stark picture of an auxiliary in crisis and demands urgent action to restore accountability.
