By Paul Nicholson
March 9 – Musa Bility, the Liberian FA (LFA) president accused of corruption by a former LFA executive committee member, has struck back with his own letter to FIFA secretary general Fatma Samoura refuting the allegations and saying he has instructed his lawyers to take action against the LFA whistleblower.
Last week Rochell Woodson in a letter to FIFA and Samoura called for FIFA to conduct a forensic audit of the LFA alleging the of misappropriation of FIFA financial assistance money of more than $1 million, as well as a raft of claims of financial embezzlement. Bility was also accused of taking $50,000 of Ebola relief money sent to the Liberian FA and sharing it between committee members.
Bility has responded in his letter (seen by Insideworldfootball) saying that the “allegations are false, baseless, unfounded, wicked, and merely intended to tarnish my hard-earned reputation. And for the injury it has caused my reputation, and given the fact that she’s no longer a member of the LFA, I have requested my lawyers to institute immediate legal action against her before a Court of competent Jurisdiction to compel her to produce evidence of her allegations or face the legal consequences for causing harm to me reputation.”
Bility is currently running for a seat on the Confederation of African Football (CAF) executive committee. He was excluded from the FIFA presidential race in 2016 after failing FIFA eligibility tests.
Woodson has twice been suspended by Liberia’s FA, in 2011 and again in December 2016. Both times Woodson reportedly had raised questions about Liberian FA finance and had demanded greater transparency over the spending of funds and grant money.
Bility counters in his letter to Samoura that after almost six years on the LFA executive committee she did “not on any occasion did she flag out any wrong doing. As a matter of fact, every financial decision in the LFA was approved by the Finance Committee which she served on as co chair. The FIFA 2014 Bonus that was received by the LFA was fully expended through a special “implementation” committee which was headed by Ms Woodson. How come she is omitting these facts?”
In his letter Bility says the “LFA under my leadership has been a shining example of good and transparent football governance on the African Continent. To the extent that after a 4-man special FIFA Management audit Mission to Liberia in 2012/13, the LFA received a “Special FIFA Bonus” for being one of the best managed FA in Africa.”
Woodson filed her request for a forensic audit and detail of her allegations to Samoura on February 24.
The request accuses Liberian FA officials of “rampant corruption and misuse of FIFA funds intended for the development of football and the youths in Liberia.” As well as Bility six other LFA officials are named including the association’s treasurer, office accountant and former internal auditor. Also named is Musa Shannon, the LFA’s 1st Vice President.
Woodson says that the money was accounted for by the creation of fake receipts and alleges that auditors were complicit.
Bility’s response is that: “For the last 7 years, our financial Operations have been subjected to an annual audit by two internationally acclaimed accounting firms…I assure you that every allegation in Ms. Woodson’s letter is false and misleading…I want to assure you that the LFA is opened to any and all forms of Audit as we have done over the last 7 years.”
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