Claim: Mo Ali refuses to install a meter on the Aqua Life water line; he does not want them to pay their water bill directly to the government.
Source: Aloysius Howe.
Verdict: The claim made by Aloysius Howe is misleading.
Full Text: On September 1, 2024, Aloysius Howe, former special assistant to former Finance Minister Samuel Tweah, posted on his Facebook page that the Managing Director of the Liberia Water and Sewer Corporation (LWSC) is refusing to put Aqua Life on a meter, preventing the bill from being sent directly to the government.
The Claim: “Mo Ali is refusing to put a meter on the Aqua Life water line; he doesn’t want them to pay their water bill directly to the government.”
Howe claimed that Ali wanted to supply Aqua Life water without a meter in exchange for $10,000 monthly.
The post has captured public attention with 102 reactions, 130 comments, and 3 shares as of this check.
The Liberia Water and Sewer Corporation was created by an Act to amend the Public Utilities Law in 1973.
The Corporation is empowered to construct, install, establish, operate, manage, and supply to all parts of Liberia safely and perform all sewerage services, as well as to maintain such water and sewerage facilities.
Verification: To authenticate the claim made by Howe, on September 3, 2024, we contacted Nimpson Todd, Public Relations and Community Outreach Manager at the LWSC. Todd said the information was false, as the managing director is against the corporation’s monies going into individuals’ pockets.
“Mr. Ali won’t do what he is speaking strongly against. He is passionate about making LWSC work so that he won’t be a stumbling block to himself.”
We also contacted a man identified as only Swaray who is believed to be the Human Resources Officer of Aqua Life. Swaray said he had no idea about the claim and that we should contact Mo Ali for further clarity.
We also contacted Aloysius Howe, but he did not respond to our inquiry.
We then contacted the Director General of LWSC, Mo Ali, who said the claim was false, citing that Aqua Life has five boreholes but only one was reported to the LWSC.
Ali said, “It means that the government was defrauded by the company; we found out when our team investigated recently.”
“Aqua Life doesn’t only produce water, but juice and soft drinks—the LWSC Act states that any borehole that you are pumping water from and that borehole produces 5,000 gallons per month is a commercial well and therefore the LWSC should put a tariff on it,” he said.
Ali said the company’s four borehole tariff was backdated. “We backdated the four borehole tariff and therefore Aqua Life has to pay for the time of defraud to the government’s revenue.”
Ali, however, declined to share the communication sent to the company on payment defrauded on the grounds it was confidential for the customer.
We also contacted the Liberia Revenue Authority to verify if the company has defaulted on its payments to the country’s revenue.
Danicius Kaihenneh Sengbeh, Manager of Communication, said, I am pleased to inform you that our records at the LRA indicate that AquaLife is tax-compliant. As of our most recent update, they have fulfilled all obligations with regard to withholding and corporate income tax payments up to August 2024.”
Conclusion: Based on the information provided, we conclude that the claim made by Howe is misleading.
