MONROVIA – Criminal Court “C” has issued arrest and search warrants for former Chief of Protocol Finda Nora Bundoo and several of her associates following a government investigation into alleged illicit enrichment and suspicious real estate dealings.
The warrants were authorized by Judge Ousman F. Feika on November 5 after a grand jury indictment based on findings from the Assets Recovery and Property Retrieval Task Force.
According to court documents, prosecutors allege that Bundoo, together with her daughter Anita Pamela Jallah, Chief Executive Officer of the Anita Group of Companies, and Francis T. Blamo, Manager of Gracious Ride, led a network that acquired multiple properties and business assets believed to have been financed through proceeds of public corruption.
The indictment lists more than two dozen individuals connected to the Anita Group network and other related entities. The charges include money laundering, theft of property, misuse of public funds, criminal conspiracy, forgery, and criminal facilitation.
The court has ordered law enforcement agencies to arrest all accused individuals and present them before Criminal Court “C” for prosecution.
In addition, the court authorized search and seizure operations at several locations linked to the defendants. These include Bundoo’s properties in Christopolis, Brewerville, and Rehab, Paynesville; buildings associated with Francis Blamo in Marshall and Zubah Town; and a residence connected to Deputy Minister for Administration Thelma E. Duncan Sawyer in Caldwell.
The warrants also permit the inspection and confiscation of additional residential and commercial properties in Monrovia and surrounding areas as investigators continue tracing the sources of the alleged illicit assets.
Law enforcement officers began executing the orders early Friday morning. Thelma E. Duncan Sawyer, G. Edmund Ponpon Jr., and Saah S. Johnson were arrested and placed in custody at the Monrovia Central Prison. They will remain detained until the court determines their eligibility for bail.
Other suspects named in the indictment remain at large as police intensify efforts to locate and apprehend them. The Assets Recovery and Property Retrieval Task Force stated that the investigation seeks to identify, recover, and return public assets allegedly acquired unlawfully during Bundoo’s tenure in government.
The court’s action represents one of the most significant steps in the current administration’s anti-corruption campaign, signaling a renewed effort to hold former officials and associates accountable for alleged financial misconduct.
In a related development, Mr. G. Edmund Ponpon Jr., Policy Analyst to Commerce Minister Magdalene Ellen Dagoseh, was among those arrested by the Asset Recovery Team on allegations of corruption.
Reports earlier this year alleged that Ponpon acted as an intermediary for Minister Dagoseh in dealings with business partners to solicit kickbacks. Sources also indicated that Ponpon previously held a similar role under former Commerce Minister Mawine Diggs, where he faced similar allegations of corrupt practices.
The Minister couldn’t be reached for comment as her phone rang unanswered.