The Office of the Ombudsman has ruled against the National Port Authority (NPA) under the leadership of Managing Director Sekou A.M. Dukuly for the wrongful dismissal of three employees, ordering their immediate reinstatement.
The decision follows a comprehensive investigation prompted by complaints from Sema G. Tulay, Annett S. Nebo, and Georgina Dixon, all of whom were dismissed following an internal audit concerning auction-related losses exceeding US$200,000 from 2022 to 2023.
The complainants alleged that their dismissal was not only unjust but also in direct violation of the Liberian Code of Conduct and the NPA’s internal policies.
They asserted that they were indefinitely suspended and later summarily dismissed without being granted access to the audit report that supposedly implicated them, and were also denied legal representation during internal hearings.
The NPA management declined to physically appear for the investigation, claiming that the Ombudsman lacked jurisdiction. However, citing Section 2.1 of the Code of Conduct, the Office of the Ombudsman ruled that it indeed had authority over the matter.
The failure of NPA officials to attend the hearings led to a default judgment, with the Ombudsman considering only the testimonies and evidence provided by the complainants.
In its findings, the Ombudsman determined that the NPA management had violated Article 5, Section 2 (A) (I) of its own Staff Handbook and recommended the immediate reinstatement of the dismissed employees.
The decision further compels the NPA to implement relevant sections of the audit findings aimed at improving internal transparency and accountability. Additionally, the NPA has been directed to investigate claims that certain customers fraudulently altered bank slips, depriving the government of due revenue.
The ruling, delivered by Honorable Commissioner Etmonia M. Martin, also ordered that Managing Director Sekou Dukuly and his in-house counsel enroll in administrative training at the Liberia Institute for Public Administration (LIPA) at their personal expense. Failure to comply with these directives could result in further action under the Code of Conduct.
Testimonies from the complainants revealed troubling inconsistencies and procedural missteps. Madam Sema Tulay, who had worked at the NPA for 20 years, stated that her function during the auction was to issue official receipts. She testified that she was denied the right to legal representation and not given the opportunity to properly review the audit report before being asked to respond to it.
Madam Georgina Dixon, who had served the NPA for two years, was responsible for issuing access passes based on receipts from cashiers. She too reported being denied access to Mr. Dukuly and legal counsel during the proceedings. She was asked to defend herself against accusations she had not been properly informed of.
Madam Annett Sema Nebo, who had been the Senior Director to the Comptroller’s Office for six years, testified that she was responsible for overseeing cashier reports and sharing daily income summaries with various departments.
She stated that during her appearance before the investigation committee, she was given only two hours to read and respond to the audit report and was denied the right to retain the report for legal review.
All three women received identical letters of suspension on June 12, 2024, were cited as “persons of interest” on June 18, and were eventually dismissed on October 1, 2024. They contended that they were never allowed to respond meaningfully to the audit findings and were effectively railroaded without due process.
The Ombudsman’s report concludes that the dismissals lacked fairness, transparency, and violated the complainants’ constitutional and labor rights. It stresses the need for administrative reform within the NPA to prevent future breaches of internal and national legal protocols.
