Monrovia, Liberia – A brewing controversy has hit the Bureau of State Enterprise (BSE) following the indefinite suspension of the institution’s Human Resource Director, Madam Agatha M. Mulbah, under circumstances she describes as “unbearable” and “in total disregard for due process.”
Madam Mulbah, in a formal communication dated September 12, 2025, and addressed to Hon. Josiah F. Joekai, Director General of the Civil Service Agency (CSA), protested her suspension announced on ELBC News on the evening of September 11, 2025.
According to the broadcast, Acting BSE Director General, Hon. Varlee F. Sanor, accused her of “wrongfully disclosing and circulating sensitive payroll-related information” to unauthorized individuals.
The following morning, Madam Mulbah said she was officially served her suspension letter by Mr. Jerome I. Mulbah, a staff from Hon. Sanor’s office. She expressed shock over what she termed an “unjust and unlawful action” carried out without her being accorded the right to defend herself.
Quoting Chapter 4.2.1 of the Civil Service Standing Orders, Madam Mulbah stressed that “disciplinary proceedings shall be initiated only after the employee concerned has been given adequate opportunity to exculpate himself.”
She further referenced Chapter 4.2.6, which she claims was completely disregarded by the Acting Director General in his decision to suspend her. In her complaint to the CSA boss, Madam Mulbah also alleged that she was verbally threatened by Hon. Sanor.
“He told me that if I don’t leave the premises of the entity, I will be arrested by the police,” she revealed, describing the ordeal as humiliating and intimidating.
She insisted that there is no truth to the claim that payroll data was leaked. Madam Mulbah urged the CSA and other pertinent oversight organizations to act immediately, stating, “To the best of my knowledge, the allegation against me is not true.”
The BSE’s payroll system has long been under scrutiny due to recurring concerns about transparency, ghost names, and irregular salary payments within state-owned enterprises. Analysts say this latest dispute risks further denting public confidence in the bureau’s operations, especially as the government moves to clean up its payroll system and tighten fiscal discipline.
Civil service advocates and labor rights campaigners have already begun weighing in, stressing that any disciplinary action against a civil servant must follow due process.
“This is exactly why Liberia has standing orders to prevent arbitrary decisions and protect workers’ rights,” one senior labor official told Heritage Newspaper on condition of anonymity.
As the controversy unfolds, questions linger over whether the Acting BSE Director General acted within the confines of the law or prematurely punished his Human Resource Director.
The result of CSA’s intervention may establish a standard for future disciplinary case handling in public sector organizations. As she awaits clarification from the CSA and other higher authorities, Madam Mulbah claims she is currently left in a state of emotional turmoil and confusion.
