Naymote Partners for Democratic Development (NPDD) has called on the government of Liberia to establish a rigorous issuance process for passport.

The civil society organisation (CSO) made the call following the arrest of popular Liberian businessman, Sheikh Bassirou Kante, in the United States for wire fraud amounting to over seven million dollars.

Kante, who has close ties with the Liberian government, was in possession of a Liberian diplomatic passport during his arrest.

The CSO said this issue has the propensity to undermine the integrity of the country’s official traveling documents and security of the immigration processes.

‘The recent case of Sheikh Bassirou Kante, which was published in the FrontPage Africa [09 May] edition, should call the attention of all well-meaning Liberians as this is dangerous to the country’s international image, peace and global security’ NPDD Executive Director, Eddie Jarwolo, said in a statement.

‘Naymote therefore calls on President Weah to muster the political will to with immediate effect revoke all official and diplomatic passports previously issued, and ensure a rigorous issuance process for the protection of Liberia’s international image and global security as [it is] alarming the constant news of diplomatic passports in the hands of criminals’.

The statement also called on the leadership of the House of Representatives to immediately proceed with an investigation of their colleague on how this alleged Chief of Staff obtained this diplomatic passport.

The diplomatic passport purportedly issued to Kante on 12 August, 2020, listed him as a Chief of Staff in the office of Vamuyah Corneh III.

A report by the Centre for Transparency and Accountability in Liberia showed that 90 percent of Liberians rate the level of corruption as high, and nearly two thirds of Liberians lack faith in the government’s commitment to fight corruption.

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