By Archie Boan
While faculty members at the State-run University of Liberia are on go-slow due to salary and welfare challenges, this paper has received multiple financial documents, including payroll and checks, which reveal that UL’s President Dr. Layli Maparyan earns a whopping US$15,063.09 every month. The campus-based Student Unification Party (SUP) has raised concerns about alleged corruption including double-dipping, forced retirement, and illegal employment.
According to documents in possession of this paper, Dr. Maparyan is allegedly receiving dual salaries: US$7,776.62 through Eco-bank and US$7,286.47 through GT-Bank—bringing her total gross monthly earnings to US$15,063.09. The Student Unification Party (SUP), which unearthed the documents, has condemned the payment scheme as exploitative, suppressive, and unjustified, especially at a time when the university is struggling to fund basic operations including the payment of faculty’s salaries.
Salary Disparities Exposed
The leak further revealed a glaring disparity in salaries under Dr. Maparyan’s administration. For example, the president’s personal secretary now reportedly earns US$1,960, a sharp increase from US$352.10 previously, making the position more lucrative than that of many deans and professors.
Assistant Professor Reginald W. Fannoh’s salary was allegedly slashed from US$2,384.78 to US$1,430.87, while Acting Dean S. Morris Cooper saw his pay reduced from US$4,346.87 to US$2,608.13. In contrast, Dr. Lester Tenny, Interim Vice President for Finance and Fiscal Affairs, had his monthly salary nearly tripled—from US$2,640 to US$6,025.70.
Alleged Unlawful Hiring and Retirement
SUP has also accused Dr. Maparyan of hiring former UNDP and USAID staffers into senior positions at the university, while simultaneously retiring nearly 200 qualified Liberian employees. Among those reportedly forced into retirement are prominent figures such as economist Dr. Mill Jones, former Liberian Ambassador Jeremiah C. Sulunteh, and educationist Joseph W. Geebro.
Administration’s Response
When contacted, Dr. Lester Tenny denied knowledge of any “extra” salaries being paid to Dr. Maparyan outside the board-approved structure.
“The president of the University of Liberia makes a salary that is structured and approved by the board. I have no knowledge of any other salary she earns apart from the one approved by the board,” Dr. Tenny clarified.
He further explained that his own current salary reflects his temporary role as Interim Vice President. Dr. Tenny claims that he is not aware of “UL-Forex Account Number 6100064442’ through which Dr. Marpayan received another set of salary, amounting to US$7,286.47, as per document in possession of this paper.
“When your time ends as acting vice president you come back to your normal salary. Mine will return to US$3,106 as a PhD holder and full professor,” Dr. Tenny noted.
