2007年VOA标准英语-Former Liberian Transitional President Arrested

By Naomi Schwarz
Dakar
13 March 2007

Liberia's former transitional president, Gyude Bryant, is out on bond after being arrested Tuesday morning on charges of economic sabotage¹. He is accused of embezzling² more than $1 million during his two-year rule. His successor, Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, has made fighting corruption³ one of the major priorities of her presidency⁴. Naomi Schwarz reports from VOA's regional bureau in Dakar.

Gyude Bryant (2004 file photo)

Liberian Solicitor⁵ General Tiawan Gongloe confirmed Gyude Bryant had been arrested.

"He was charged with economic sabotage which under our laws is a misuse⁶ of public money, misdirection of revenue, just misappropriation of public funds, of converting it from public purpose to your own use," he said.

The arrest is the culmination⁷ of an investigation⁸ that began last year. An audit⁹ conducted by the Economic Community of West African States had accused several top officials in the interim¹⁰ government of misusing¹¹ public funds, but Liberian investigators¹² took their time compiling evidence.

Gongloe says the charge is a first-class felony.

"So if he is found guilty, he [runs] the risk of being jailed for a maximum period of 10 years and restituting the amount that he is charged of converting to his own use: $1.4 million," he said.

Mr. Bryant, a businessman, was chosen by regional and Liberian mediators to lead the interim government after Charles Taylor was forced from power in late 2003. His two-year rule ended in 2006 when Ellen Johnson Sirleaf won democratic elections.

Gongloe says the arrest of Mr. Bryant shows the current government's commitment to fighting corruption.

"The fact that Mr. Bryant, who was chairman of the transitional government, has been arrested and brought before court for abuse of public office by committing economic sabotage should send a clear signal that there is no one above the law," he said.

The solicitor general says this is an important step to show Liberians and the international community that the country, resource-rich but seriously impoverished¹³, is moving forward after more than a decade of civil war.

Local journalist Prince Collins says Liberians were eager to learn what would happen next in the case.

"Everyone in Liberia is listening to the radio," he said. "All are following the arrest of Gyude Bryant. There are a lot of people around the residence of Gyude Bryant to watch the scene."

He says most Liberians support Ms. Sirleaf in the fight against corruption, although some of her political opponents say it is going too far.

1 sabotage   

n.怠工，破坏活动，破坏；v.从事破坏活动，妨害，破坏

参考例句：

• They tried to sabotage my birthday party.他们企图破坏我的生日晚会。
• The fire at the factory was caused by sabotage.那家工厂的火灾是有人蓄意破坏引起的。

2 embezzling   

v.贪污，盗用（公款）( embezzle的现在分词 )

参考例句：

• Accordingly, object embezzling waste to be carried temporarily the schedule of administration. 因此，反对贪污浪费就提上了临时中央政府的议事日程。 来自互联网
• Some were sentenced for taking bribes, others executed for embezzling funds. 有的因受贿而被判刑，有的因侵吞公款而被判处死刑。 来自互联网

3 corruption   

n.腐败，堕落，贪污

参考例句：

• The people asked the government to hit out against corruption and theft.人民要求政府严惩贪污盗窃。
• The old man reviled against corruption.那老人痛斥了贪污舞弊。

4 presidency   

n.总统(校长，总经理)的职位(任期)

参考例句：

• Roosevelt was elected four times to the presidency of the United States.罗斯福连续当选四届美国总统。
• Two candidates are emerging as contestants for the presidency.两位候选人最终成为总统职位竞争者。

5 solicitor   

n.初级律师，事务律师

参考例句：

• The solicitor's advice gave me food for thought.律师的指点值得我深思。
• The solicitor moved for an adjournment of the case.律师请求将这个案件的诉讼延期。

6 misuse   

n.误用，滥用；vt.误用，滥用

参考例句：

• It disturbs me profoundly that you so misuse your talents.你如此滥用自己的才能，使我深感不安。
• He was sacked for computer misuse.他因滥用计算机而被解雇了。

7 culmination   

n.顶点；最高潮

参考例句：

• The space race reached its culmination in the first moon walk.太空竞争以第一次在月球行走而达到顶峰。
• It may truly be regarded as the culmination of classical Greek geometry.这确实可以看成是古典希腊几何的登峰造级之作。

8 investigation   

n.调查，调查研究

参考例句：

• In an investigation,a new fact became known, which told against him.在调查中新发现了一件对他不利的事实。
• He drew the conclusion by building on his own investigation.他根据自己的调查研究作出结论。

9 audit   

v.审计；查帐；核对；旁听

参考例句：

• Each year they audit our accounts and certify them as being true and fair.他们每年对我们进行账务审核，以确保其真实无误。
• As usual,the yearly audit will take place in December.跟往常一样，年度审计将在十二月份进行。

10 interim   

adj.暂时的，临时的；n.间歇，过渡期间

参考例句：

• The government is taking interim measures to help those in immediate need.政府正在采取临时措施帮助那些有立即需要的人。
• It may turn out to be an interim technology.这可能只是个过渡技术。

11 misusing   

v.使用…不当( misuse的现在分词 )；把…派作不正当的用途；虐待；滥用

参考例句：

• This means we must stop misusing them. 也就是说，我们已必须停止滥用抗菌素不可了。 来自英汉非文学 - 生命科学 - 预防生物武器
• Misusing organic fertilizer may cause a decrease in the soil's quality. 滥用有机肥料可能会导致土地的土质下降。 来自互联网

12 investigators   

n.调查者，审查者( investigator的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• This memo could be the smoking gun that investigators have been looking for. 这份备忘录可能是调查人员一直在寻找的证据。
• The team consisted of six investigators and two secretaries. 这个团队由六个调查人员和两个秘书组成。 来自《简明英汉词典》

13 impoverished   

adj.穷困的，无力的，用尽了的v.使（某人）贫穷( impoverish的过去式和过去分词 )；使（某物）贫瘠或恶化

参考例句：

• the impoverished areas of the city 这个城市的贫民区
• They were impoverished by a prolonged spell of unemployment. 他们因长期失业而一贫如洗。 来自《简明英汉词典》