TUBMANBURG, BOMI COUNTY, LIBERIA – Bomi Community College (BCC) President, Dr. Zobong B. Norman, is formally calling on Verity Newspaper to publish an erratum for wrongfully using his photograph in a corruption allegation involving the College.
The Newspaper, in its Monday, 28 July 2025 Edition, both Print and Online, published a story titled “Over US$1.9 Million Unaccounted for at Two Public Universities”, referencing an investigative report by the Liberia Anti-Corruption Commission (LACC).
The LACC’s report alleged financial irregularities at Bomi Community College (BCC) and Lofa University, including payroll padding and unauthorized withdrawals.
However, Dr. Norman: “while the story referred to alleged misconduct during a previous administration at BCC, Verity Newspaper mistakenly used his photograph in the article, creating the false impression that he was directly linked to the corruption”.
Speaking at a press conference in Tubmanburg on Friday, 8 August 2025, the BCC President distanced himself from the allegations, reaffirming his commitment to transparency and accountability at that learning institution.
Dr. Norman told journalists upon assuming office, he formally requested the Internal Audit Agency (IAA) to conduct an audit of the College’s operations, and subsequently invited the LACC to investigate the previous administration after receiving some information about misappropriation of funds.
”I have no connection to the financial mismanagement referenced in the report,” Dr. Norman stated. “I took proactive steps to ensure proper oversight by initiating the audits myself.”
Despite the wrongful use of his image, the BCC President acknowledged that Verity Newspaper’s Chief Executive Officer, (CEO) Martin K. N. Kollie admitted the error via a Facebook comment and apologized on behalf of his team promising to correct the mistake by replacing the image across the publication’s platforms and issuing an official erratum in their next edition.
Mr. Kollie Facebook: “Hey Dr. Z.B. Norman, our apologies on behalf of the reporters at Verity for the error,” Kollie wrote. “They will change the photo across our website and social media platforms, and they will also do an erratum in the next edition. This was never intentional; it was an overnight error.”
” While the image has been removed from Verity’s online platforms, there was no content provided to give a clearer picture to the public of what necessity of the removal of his [Dr. Norman] photograph and as I am speaking the Verity’s Newspaper has not done the erratum in subsequent publications”, he narrated.
He criticized Verity’s management failure to formally retract or clarify the error in writing, which he says continues to damage his reputation.
“This issue goes beyond a simple online correction,” Dr. Norman emphasized. The report is in circulation and continues to undermine the character and integrity I have built over the years. I am calling on Verity Newspaper to do the honorable and professional thing by issuing a full erratum,” the BCC President indicated.
According to the Verity report, over US$1.5 million and L$9 million were allegedly withdrawn from the Bomi Community College’s project account without justification—an allegation based on a General Auditing Commission (GAC) report.
However, the names of individuals linked to the discrepancies have not been officially released.
Dr. Norman reiterated that BCC welcomes the audit process and is cooperating fully with all oversight bodies, including the Ministry of Education, ensuring the public that Bomi Community College remains committed to upholding the trust placed in us by the Liberian people and government.
As of this publication, Verity News has yet to release the promised erratum in its print edition.