The United States Embassy in Liberia announced Friday that the U.S. would put sanctions on ex-warlord Prince Yormie Johnson, a current senator for the Liberian government accused of involvement in a "pay-for-play" funding scheme.
A statement from the U.S. Treasury Department said Johnson's scheme involved "millions of U.S. dollars" meant for the Liberian government but used for "personal enrichment."
The Global Magnitsky Act says the U.S. can put sanctions on anyone it sees as a human rights violator. This includes freezing their assets and banning them from entering the country.
In 1990, during Liberia's 14-year civil war, Johnson's forces captured then-President Samuel Doe, torturing and killing him while filming the incident, according to ProPublica. Soon after, they dumped Doe's body outside a medical clinic.
Johnson is currently a senior senator for Liberia's Nimba County. He is also the former chairman of the Senate Committee on National Security, Defense, Intelligence and Veteran Affairs.
"Corrupt acts take resources from citizens, undermine public trust and threaten the progress of those who fight for democracy," U.S. Secretary of the Treasury Janet L. Yellen said in the statement.
"Treasury is committed to countering those who seek personal enrichment at the expense of the people who trust them to to serve — especially in the middle of a global pandemic. We are taking these actions today to expose and hold corrupt leaders accountable."
Now a trusted political ally of former international soccer star President George Weah, Johnson is accused in a U.S. Embassy statement of large-scale corruption.
"As a senator, Johnson has been involved in pay-for-play funding with government ministries and organizations for personal enrichment," the statement said. "As part of the scheme, upon receiving funding from the government of Liberia, the involved government ministries and organizations launder a portion of the funding for return to the involved participants."
Johnson also receives an undeserved salary from the Liberian government as a salaried intelligence source, yet he does not provide any form of intelligence reporting, alleged the U.S. statement. He is being paid in order to maintain domestic stability, according to the statement.
"Johnson has also offered the sale of votes in multiple Liberian elections in exchange for money," it said.
Johnson denounced the sanctions, telling the Associated Press that the U.S. statement of allegations against him "is vague" because it does not present "facts" that he had been involved in corruption.
He said he is waiting for a more detailed explanation and challenged the U.S. government to give details about which specific administrations in Liberia had paid him corrupt fees.
"What we want is the facts," Johnson said. "You can accuse people, but the evidence is what is important. Coming from Uncle Sam's website — obviously the most powerful nation on earth whose footprint we follow democratically — so you don't just destroy people's name by accusing them without facts."
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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