Painstaking investigations carried out by Spy News Agency (SNA) has unveiled a web of deceit interlinking Angela Diala List to sanctioned individuals in Liberia and government-level corruption, spanning Ghana to Liberia, St. Kitts to Australia, and even the Middle East country, Jordan.
A tale of deceit, corruption, and entanglement with politically exposed persons has emerged, centering around Ghanaian national Angela List with Liberian links. List is the daughter of Ghanian politician Daniel Abodakpi and has always enjoyed the benefits this has provided in Ghana.
Sources talk about the red-carpet treatment List enjoyed in the corridors of power within the Weah-led government with direct access to cabinet and senior officials close to former President George Weah. Such corruption is too commonplace in West Africa and the acts of a few continue to affect the lives of the many. Such corruption is endemic and has been the root cause of stifling the hopes and aspirations of the peoples of Liberia and Ghana.
Forced to resign amidst allegations of negligence, theft and misconduct, List’s manoeuvres within BCM Group, led to an illegal transfer of ownership, sparking a storm of legal battles and accusations against her. List transferred the jewels of the BCM group to her own name and quickly rebranded them to Nguvu Holdings in an attempt to clean her hands of her misdeeds. All of this was done without the knowledge of her business partner and then husband Paul List.
Similar to her illegal transfer of the BCM shares in West Africa, List has exported her crimes to Jordan where sources reported she has forged corporate documents, including a false power of attorney, to remove her husband Paul List’s ability to control his own company in Jordan. The Jordanian Criminal Directorate and the Prosecution have opened an investigations file against List. She is also allegedly accused of embezzling millions of dollars from the company during her short tenure in control of the company while she was in Jordan before Paul List discovered the crimes.
As a result of these alleged actions, Angela is charged with complicity in fraud, leading to an arrest warrant being issued against her in Kingdom of Jordan including a travel ban. Because she was not in the country when the arrest warrant was issued, the Jordanian authorities have issued a request to Interpol to place List on the Red Notice to bring her back to Jordan to face justice.
List’s involvement in violent incidents at mining sites under List control in Ghana, Mali and Sierra Leone raise grave concerns, with illegal miners falling victim to brutalities in a bid to protect her interests.
Her trail of deceit extends to forging documents, misappropriating millions, and manipulating corporate structures to siphon funds for personal indulgences and payment of bribes to government officials to give her the political clout she needs to continue with her misdeeds. These acts would not be possible without political influence and the protection these friends have offered List. Alas, these back hand deals that benefit a few key people continue to thrive at a cost to the society, democracy and commercial ability of Liberia and Ghana.
The shadow of corruption looms large over List’s businesses, notably Nguvu Holdings, as she strategically positioned herself amongst the powerful elite in Ghana and Liberia. List has continued to leverage personal relationships with former President George Weah and Minister Amewu to gain mining concessions and conceal assets.
List in turn acts as a proxy for the interests of high up public official. With the aid of her influential friends, she has amassed wealth in real estates, oil and mining deals, List’s operations extended to various West African countries, fuelling speculation of intimate affiliations and under-the-table dealings.
List has shown she is willing to act as a cover to facilitate misdeeds such as the establishment of shell companies like Mekinel Holding Limited, which sources say is ultimately owned by List, underscores the clandestine endeavours to facilitate illicit payments to government officials, escaping detection through proxies and misdirection.
In 2018, Angela List registered a company called Mekinel Holding Limited. Mekinel is owned, on paper, by James Emmanual Potter, then Assistant Minister of State for Presidential Affairs President Weah. List, and Finda N. Bunda. Bunda acted as the chief of protocol at the executive mansion under President Weah, where Angela List is said to be a regular guest. Mekinel is a holding company that has been used to facilitate payments to government officials without detection.
It appears she has continued her relationship – and some say influence – with government officials in Liberia including the former Minister of State for Presidential Affairs and Chief of Staff, and today an OFAC-sanctioned individual, Nathaniel McGill, as well as the Managing Director of the National Port Authority (NPA), Bill Twehway. The United State Office of Foreign Assets Control in August 2022 placed McGill on its Special Designated Nationals List for crimes said to be undermining democracy in Liberia.
McGill is cited for directly or indirectly engaging in corruption, including the misappropriation of state assets, the expropriation of private assets for personal gain, corruption related to government contracts or the extraction of natural resources, or bribery.
Also cited for corruption related offences against the people of Liberia, the Managing Director of the NPA, Bill Twehway orchestrated the diversion of $1.5 million in vessel storage fee funds from the NPA into a private account.
Twehway secretly formed a private company to which he used his position to unilaterally award a contract for loading and unloading cargo at the Port of Buchanan. The contract was awarded to the company less than a month after its founding. Twehway and others used family members to obfuscate their own involvement in the company while still benefitting financially from the company. Twehway was also designated for being a foreign person who was complicit in corruption, including the misappropriation of state assets, the expropriation of private assets for personal gain, corruption related to government contracts or the extraction of natural resources, or bribery.
Newly appointed President Joseph Boakai has vowed to clamp down of political corruption and that individuals who have broken the law will be prosecuted. It remains to be seen whether the misdeeds of List, McGill and Twehway and their co-conspirators continue unabated.
As the layers of List’s deception unravel, the implications of her actions reverberate across borders, underscoring the pervasive nature of corruption in West African business circles. The greed and self-interest of List serves as a stark reminder of the urgent need for transparency, accountability, and swift justice in combating corruption at all levels.
Stay tuned as we delve deeper into the unravelling saga of Angela List, shedding light on the dark underbelly of greed and deception that threatens the fabric of governance in West Africa and many other jurisdictions.
Source: Spy News Agency