Liberia: “Joseph Nyuma Boakai Foundation” Status Revoked in the U.S.

Providence, Rhode Island and Monrovia, Liberia – April 11, 2022:

An investigation conducted by African Star has confirmed that a foundation established by former Liberian Vice President and current Standard Bearer of the former ruling Unity Party (UP) Mr. Joseph N. Boakai has had its status revoked in the U.S.Notice of Revocation Joseph Nyuma Boakai Foundation in Rhode Island, USA

According to documents obtained by this paper, in October 2016 the JOSEPH N. BOAKAI MOVEMENT – USA, a non-profit organization, was incorporated in Rhode Island, “TO HELP SHAPE THE FUTURE OF OUR COMMUNITY, BY PRESERVING OUR HERITAGE, DISCOVERING NEW KNOWLEDGE AND SHARING OUR RESOURCES WITH OUR COMMUNITY HERE IN THE USA AND LIBERIA.” It was dissolved in May 2018. No report was ever made to Liberians or its donors if any, on its activities.

Then the Joseph Nyumah Boakai Foundation, under a new name, was organized in 2018 in Rhode Island as a non-profit organization – “YOUTH DEVELOPMENT EDUCATION WATER AND SANITATION PROJECTS SAID CORPORATION IS ORGANIZED EXCLUSIVELY FOR CHARITABLE, RELIGIOUS, EDUCATIONAL AND SCIENTIFIC PURPOSES DEFINED UNDER SECTION 501(C)(3) OF THE INTERNAL REVENUE CODE” 

Officers of the Corporation:

Saah E. Johnny  – Director Gayah Fahnbulleh – Director Louise K. Tamba – Director

Our investigation further confirmed that in 2019, the State of Rhode Island wrote the Foundation for failure to file the required returns and revoked its status.

The Foundation then filed its 2019 returns later. No other filings have been done since. The latest Letter of Revocation from the State of Rhode Island was May 6, 2021 and the Foundation remains under revocation.Gayah Fahnbulleh, one of 3 Directors of the Joseph Nyuma Boakai Foundation in the U. S.

In June 2020, the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) – the federal U.S. tax authority issued a final letter recognizing the foundation as a public charity, with tax deductible status but with the requirement that the Foundation file annual returns. The Foundation has not filed one federal return since.

Messages sent to two representatives of the Foundation in the U. S. for comment were not responded to.

It is unclear if the former Vice President is aware or involved in the operation of his Foundation and its current status. There is no information of its registration in Liberia or its tax status.

Close confidantes of the Mr. Boakai conceded to African Star in Monrovia over the weekend that his camp was struggling to raise much needed cash for party operations and to prepare for the 2023 campaign and Presidential Elections in which he is expected to contest for the Presidency.

A political action styled group which calls itself “Tact Team 2023 was established on January 10, 2021, by group of professionals, home and abroad who believe in the dreams, leadership, governance style and ideology of Ambassador Joseph N. Boakai to lead the CPP ticket and win the 2023 elections…,” the group said on its website.

The CPP is the opposition bloc known as the Collaborating Political Parties from which the UP has exited along with another constituent opposition party the All Liberian Party (ALP).

Still in the CPP are the opposition Alternative National Congress (ANC) and the Liberty Party (LP).The Boakai Tact Team 2023 appointed Ms. Telia Urey, a member of the ALP and daughter of the ALP Founder Mr. Benoni Urey, a close ally and supporter of former Vice President Boakai.Ms. Telia Urey of Boakai Tact Team 2023 – File photo

In accepting her appointment in March, Ms. Urey posted to social media saying, “…We have one goal; TO ENSURE AMB JOSEPH BOAKA IS ELECTED PRESIDENT OF LIBERIA IN 2023. This is a mission to save Liberia…”

But our investigation further confirmed that support for the Boakai Tact Team 2023 has been lackluster given the extreme level of economic challenges and high level of poverty that most Liberians are facing. Several fundraisers by group have fallen below expectations both in the country and the Diaspora.

A source in the UP says some high profile donors of the former ruling UP are reluctant to “open their wallets” to support the party since they have doubts about the party’s chances in 2023.”We have yet to roll out a platform and awareness because the money is just not there to do all these things we needed to start doing a year ago,” the source said.

Meantime, Ms. Urey has had her own failure with trying to operate a business in the U.S. She established a real estate development venture known as Core Investment Group Liberia LLC in June 2019 in Gaithersburg, Maryland, the United States but it “was forfeited for failure to file property return for 2019.”Status of Core Investment Group Liberia LLC

According to documents in the possession of African Star, between May – September 2019, the status of Core Investment Group Liberia LLC was changed from “Active in Good Standing” to “Active Not in Good Standing”.

Between May 2020 – May 2021, Ms. Urey’s business was deemed “Inactive” and in the same period, became “Active Not In Good Standing” to “Forfeited”.

Ms. Urey currently operates a hospitality business in Monrovia.

Mr. Boakai has faced sustained criticisms over his long term role in Government with little impact and comments he made on a local talk show that “opportunities were squandered” during the Ellen Johnson Sirleaf Administration in which he served as Vice President between 2006 – 2017.

But Mr. Boakai maintains that as Vice President, he saw his role as “supportive” of the President’s policies and programs only and that he had no real sway in major decision making.

Last November, the former Vice President undertook a health trip to the U.S. and also held several political events in several Liberian communities to tout his experience and plans for the Presidency.Former Vice President Joseph N. Boakai visiting Project Cure warehouse in Arizona in November 2021 – File photo

He also visited the corporate offices of PROJECT CURE, the “world’s largest distributor of donated medical equipment and supplies to resource-limited communities across the globe”. Handlers of Mr. Boakai indicated following his visit, said it was to “personally inspect the medical supplies and equipment donated by PROJECT CURE to the Joseph Boakai Foundation being readied for shipment to Liberia…”

But very little has been heard about the donated medical supplies since last November.

The Boakai Foundation joins several other U.S. based Liberian charitable organizations and political parties that have failed to comply with U.S. Laws.

On May 10, 2021, African Star reported an investigation into official operations of some Liberian political parties in the diaspora, regarding their blatant non-compliance with the U.S. Foreign Agents Registration Act commonly known as FARA and contravention of laws of the Liberia’s National Elections Commission (NEC).

According to its enforcement regime, the U.S. Department of Justice advises that, “Any person who willfully violates any provision of FARA or any regulation thereunder, or in any registration statement or supplement thereto or in any other document filed with or furnished to the Attorney General under the provisions of FARA willfully makes a false statement of a material fact or willfully omits any material fact required to be stated therein or willfully omits a material fact or a copy of a material document necessary to make the statements therein and the copies of documents furnished therewith not misleading, shall, upon conviction thereof, be punished by a fine of not more than $250,000 or by imprisonment for not more than five (5) years. See 22 U.S.C. § 618(a); 18 U.S.C. § 3571.”

U.S. laws which are dispassionately enforced to protect the national security of the world’s superpower also states that, “For certain offenses involving the failure to properly label informational materials, provide adequate disclosure to Congress or a federal agency, or correct deficiencies in registrations, or entering into a contingent fee arrangement, the punishment shall be a fine of not more than $5,000 or imprisonment for not more than six (6) months, or both. See 22 U.S.C. § 618(a).

Failure to file a registration statement or supplements thereto as required by FARA shall be considered a continuing offense for as long as such failure exists, notwithstanding any statute of limitation or other statute to the contrary. See 22 U.S.C. § 618(e).

Under investigation was whether individuals, political parties and some U.S. citizens of Liberian descent residing in the U.S. who were collecting and remitting huge sums of money to politicians and political parties in the West African country were registered as foreign agents to comply with U.S laws as required.

As part of its investigation, African Star reviewed the FARA website of the U.S. Department of Justice and was unable to locate any proof of registration of some of Liberia’s’ major political parties including the Liberty Party (LP), the former ruling Unity Party (UP), the United People’s Party (UPP), the All Liberia Liberian Party (ALP), the ruling Coalition for Democratic Change (CDC), the Congress for Democratic Change (CDC), the Movement for Democratic Reconciliation (MDR) and the former ruling True Whig Party (TWP).

Other groups who may allegedly sometimes engage in lobbying include the All-Liberian National Conference for Dual Citizenship and the Union of Liberian Associations in the Americas (ULAA), Organization of Liberians in Minnesota (OLM), Friends of Yekeh, Friends of Brownie Samukai and several Liberian civic and county organizations in the U.S.

Even the group of over 20 smaller opposition political parties known as the “Rainbow Coalition” in Liberia, who may sometimes solicit and receive foreign donations from their supporters, has no locatable registration information in the U.S. under FARA laws.

The U.S. based arm of opposition Alternative National Congress (ANC) known as ANC-Global is the only political entity which is registered and in full compliance with U.S. laws, per the website of the U.S, Justice Department.

Various Liberian organizations in the U.S. including CDC-USA, ANC-USA, UP-USA, Friends of Dillon, Council of Patriots-USA, MADDAS), etc. and individuals regularly hold fundraising activities, and remit funds to political entities and individuals in Liberia to support political activities. In some instances, the remitted funds are used for the personal upkeep of the political parties and some individuals in Liberia.

Both Liberians and U.S. citizens and institutions often made charitable donations to U.S. based Liberian organizations but are unaware if these organizations are in fact registered under U.S. Law. U.S. based Liberian organizations and political parties continue to remain indifference in making financial reports public or disclosing their legal standing either with the IRS or FARA.

Some Liberians who also hold American citizenship in several U.S. based organizations told African Star, they were not aware of any record-keeping of their members or funds raised. Others argued that they were not aware of the FARA or IRS requirements that require that any lobbying for a foreign power or non-for-profit organizations should comply with U.S. laws.

African Star Senior Legal Consultant said potential donors should always verify the legal status of any organization before committing to making charitable contributions because of possible consequences. Since the start of African Star investigations into the operations of U.S. based Liberian organizations, and businesses, most of those found to be non-compliance with U.S. laws still remain defiant by operating and soliciting funds from Liberians and U.S. citizens in blatant violations of U.S. laws.

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