After uncovering how Commerce Inspector D. Dorr Cooper defrauded the State-run University of Liberia system, a 5-person special investigative committee was set up by the Vice President for Academic Affairs, Dr. Agnes Reeves-Taylor, on September 23, 2024.
The committee headed by Mr. Robert Weah was mandated to thorougly investigate by ascertaining the following: Whether Mr. D. Dorr Cooper is a student of the University of Liberia and How did he obtain the University’s Clearance and academicals for graduation?
According to the leaked investigative report which was sourced from the office of the Preisdent of the University of Liberia, the Investigative Committee reviewed records from Mwetana, the university’s digital service provider, the team also reviewed the Department of Public Administration spread sheets, grade input sheets from 2015-2024.
“We also reviewed the university’s student enrollment records from 2015-2024 as well as students’ ledger for the period under review.” the report asserted.
Findings from the leaked report clearly established and revealed that Mr. D. Dorr Cooper, Inspector General of Trade and Commerce at the Ministry of Commerce, is not and has not been a student of the University of Liberia.
The Findings show that Mr. Cooper was fraudulantly issued the Identification Number 26371 a former student of the University of Liberia, Mr. Dahngbaye M. Wogbeh.
The investigation of Verity News further established that Mr. Wongbeh who was born on May 18, 1958 and died on July 19, 2015. “It was revealed that on November 11, 2015, at 2:15 p.m., the University’s records were altered and a student, Mr. Dahngbaye M. Wogbeh, with Identification Number 26371 was fraudulently replaced with D. Dorr Cooper by Mr. Kollie T. Kamara, a former employer of the University of Liberia.
The Committee discovered that on May 10, 2024, another modification was made to the Identification number 26371 by Mr. Jonathan Kangar who swapped Ms. NIOME NOWAH TYLER, a 2019 graduate of the University records and placed it under the Identification number 26371 that is now bearing the name, D. Dorr Cooper.
The purpose of this alteration or swapping was to allow Mr. D. Dorr Cooper to graduate using NIOME NOWAH TYLER’s grades or records.” The Leaked Investigative Report sourced by Verity News from the Office of U.L. President .
The committee also discovered that the record that is now bearing the name D. Dorr cooper was updated in the university’s records system by Ms. Mercy W. Koquoi on Saturday, August 31 ,but she mistakenly typed D. Dor Cooper leaving out one of the Rs in the name.Mr. Thurston Lewis, the PADM clearing Officer told the Investigative Committee that he raised concern upon seeing the name D. Dorr Cooper on the PADM clearing roster before the final list was submitted to the Dean of the College, but his assertions were all proven false when his team mates on the PADM Clearing team, Mr. Goffa Suah and Mr. Foday Jaleiba admitted that the name in question remained on the final list until Dr. Taylor called the attention of the Dean to it.
Mr. Foday Jaleiba who represented the OES on the PADM clearing Team sincerely admitted clearing D. Dorr Cooper’s name for graduation along with Mr. Lewis who previously denied having any knowledge.
The Chairman of the Department, Mr. Arthur B. Sharpe also denied knowing the name and the person bearing the name Mr. D. Dorr Cooper, but unfortunately, further investigation by the team established that Chairman Sharpe knows Mr. D. Dorr Cooper well and has interacted with him and even introduced D. Dorr Cooper to Professor Dr. Lester Tenny for clearance during the 103rd Commencement clearing process.
The Committee discovered that Mr. Goffa K. Suah, Coordinator of the department of Public Administration approved the name D. Dorr Cooper in the system although being fully aware that he is not a student of the department.
During the investigation, reliable sources contacted confirmed that Mr. Augustine Z. Garpi helped in the distribution of the money received from Mr. Cooper according to the committee.
There are reports that some authorities at the University of Liberia want to sweep this damning investigative report under the carpet. With the leaked report in Verity News posession, this may seems almost impossible.
Pundits and legal analysts believe that the reputation of the entire management team at the University of Liberia is at stake if they remain silent about the report that has already been submitted by the committee set up by it.
With this latest development, there are calls already for Mr. Dorr Cooper to be dismissed by President Boakai for his involvement into such an egreegious fraud.
All eyes will now be on the University of Liberia and President Boakai to see what happens next amid increasing public outcry to crack down on corruption including fraud.
