Monrovia, Liberia – Two employees of Madam Kartumu Y. Boakai’s office, Varflay Holmes and Lemuel Vah, have been suspended with immediate effect for allegedly defrauding a Liberian father of US$4,000 in order to obtain scholarships for his two children to attend British institutions.
Holmes and Vah were suspended for one month without pay, according to a press release from the First Lady’s Office on Monday, January 20, 2025. Early this month, Mr. Holmes, who is allegedly an executive in Madam Boakai’s office, was charged with obtaining money from certain citizens while feigning to create opportunities for his “victims,” which have allegedly not yet materialized.
In light of this, two of the accused victims acknowledged sending Holmes US$2,000 apiece, for a total of US$4,000, in the hope of receiving complete study abroad scholarships. Holmes acknowledged collecting the money from the victims through the media, but he explained that it was intended to help his accusers obtain what he called a partially financed scholarship.
According to the release, Madam Boakai is concerned about the problem that has garnered a lot of public attention and takes the accusations very seriously. Following a thorough analysis of the circumstances and an assessment of the relevant data, Madan Boakai has made the following firm decisions: Immediate Suspension: According to the the release, Mr. Varfee Holmes and Mr. Lemuel Vah, the two parties implicated, have been placed on leave for a month without salary. The First Lady’s Office also stated that both parties had reimbursed the impacted parties a total of USD4,000, sending a strong message to her employees to uphold the greatest standards of professionalism and honesty.
According to the release, the first lady reaffirmed that the Office of the First Lady must exhibit the purity and dignity appropriate to its function serving the Liberian people. Her dedication to providing honorable and honest public service was also acknowledged by the Office of the First Lady. The announcement also stated that the office acknowledged any trauma the victims may have had and apologized for the incident.
