Liberia investigating $100 million in missing new bank notes

MONROVIA, Liberia – Liberia’s government says it is investigating the disappearance of newly printed bills worth about $100 million that were imported into the West African nation.

That amount is nearly 5 per cent of the country’s GDP.

Information Minister Eugene Nagbe tells The Associated Press the money entered the country between November and August in containers at the port of Monrovia.

Nagbe says a travel ban has been imposed on 15 officials, including former President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf’s son, who is a deputy at the Central Bank of Liberia.

Local media report the money was removed from the port in March under security escort but vanished.

Milton Weeks, the Central Bank governor at the time, says he is fully co-operating with the investigation. He says he was not aware of any missing money.