A Danish film about alleged corruption in Liberia allowing businessmen to buy diplomatic titles has developed into a war of words between the film’s producer and authorities in Liberia and a lawyer who allegedly received payment for introductions.

Varney Sherman, one of Liberia’s top lawyers, who holds a senior honorary position in President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf’s party, has firmly denied having taken a USD35,000 payment in order to help secure a diplomatic title for the Danish film-maker Mads Brügger.

Brügger’s film The Ambassador purports to show how the purchase of a diplomatic title from Liberia would enable him to export blood diamonds from the Central African Republic. Brügger never actually succeeded in exporting diamonds from the CAR.

E-mail exchanges between Sherman and Brügger, of which Politiken has copies, seem to show that Sherman broke off cooperation with Brügger and returned a cash transfer.

“Those funds are available at your convenience for disposition as you wish,” the lawyer writes to Brügger.

DOCUMENTATION: See the e-mail exchanges here

That particular piece of information has been left out of Brügger’s film, which suggests that the lawyer is one of the main actors in Brügger’s attempts to buy Liberian diplomatic status.

“If I had had the slightest feeling as to what type he really was, I wouldn’t have touched him with a barge pole. I think he’s an idiot and I don’t understand his mission,” Varney Sherman tells politiken.dk, adding he does not think it is worth suing Brügger. The Liberian government has said several times recently that it would be taking Brügger to court.

“I don’t think it’s worth it, as it would simply give him exposure that he does not deserve and which he would use to become more famous. He’s a swindler and what would Liberia win by spending money on a court case,” Sherman says.

In The Ambassador, Brügger – who is currently head of the 24seven radio station – employs the services of a Dutchman to help him get the title of Liberian consul to the Central African Republic.

Among other issues, the Dutchman arranges a meeting with between Brügger and Sherman, who the film suggests is able to pull political strings to secure a diplomatic title.

“After a few days at the hotel in Monrovia I met Varney Sherman who – as they say in Liberia – is The Man. He is Liberia’s leading business attorney. Mærsk hired him to help them take over the Monrovia free port and he is also the leader of President Ellen Johnson’s Unity Party. Not a man to cross swords with,” Mads Brügger says in the film.

Brügger has audio sequences of the lawyer ringing directly to the foreign minister who promises to further the case.

“For this, I was to give Sherman USD35,000 as a secret contribution to the upcoming presidential election,” Brügger continues in the film and clips over to a scene in which a civil servant assures Brügger that a happy Sherman has received an envelope with money.

But Sherman tells Politiken.dk that the interpretation is wrong, although he admits receiving money, but only as payment for acting as a lobbyist.

“He came in with another European because he wanted to be the Liberian consul to Denmark – which he later changed to the Central African Republic. They asked me to lobby and use my contacts to get the post,” Sherman says.

Is this something you normally offer to do?

“Yes. I am a business attorney and also do lobbying for my clients. The post of consul can be given to any businessman of standing in places where Liberia does not have an ambassador,” he says.

Are you able to do this type of lobbying at the same time as being party chairman?

“Yes, the chairmanship is an honorary title, not an employment,” Sherman says, angrily denying that the funds were to go to the presidential party. He adds that he had not wanted money up front as it was uncertain that his efforts would be productive.

“I told him that because this was a government issue he would have to go through a security check, be approved by the Foreign Ministry and even be approved by the president. All of this is necessary and objective and not something that I can influence,” he says, adding that candidates would be checked through Interpol.

But what did he need you for then?

“I have political connections. I can lobby and use my influence. But I cannot ensure him the title and so I said that I didn’t want a payment until it was successful,” Sherman says.

And what was your salary to be?

That was not decided. He said that he had brought along USD35,000 which he had had difficulty in getting in and was not happy with having to get out again. So he wanted me to keep it for him and use it for any costs that might accrue,” Sherman says.

In the film, documentation is again presented to show that Varney Sherman took the money as a bribe.

But the film’s producer has told Politiken.dk he found it strange that the lawyer did not produce an invoice or receipt for the amount.

“I was only to be paid if it was successful and I only kept the money because he was unable to take it out again. It was a question of trust,” Sherman says, adding his normal fee was USD250 per hour and a normal payment in this sort of case would have been USD15-20,000.But the combination of Brüggers change of mind as to where he wanted to be consul, a political reshuffle in the Liberian government and a presidential trip abroad delayed attempts to secure a diplomatic title.

At the same time, Brügger, who used his original name of Cortzen in the film, became more and more impatient in his e-mails to the Liberian attorney.

“Mr. Cortzen pushed me to get his appointment quicker than normal. In one of his mails to me he suggests that I was not effective. That made me answer immediately that under the circumstances I had to break off the cooperation and I asked him to come and pick up his money,” Sherman says.

Sherman’s explanation is confirmed by an e-mail between the two in which the Danish film producer says that one of the Dutchman’s partners will arrive soon to pick up the money.

Politiken.dk has also spoken to Abraham Swaray who confirms that he collected a cheque for the full amount, which he drew and gave to the Dutchman.

According to the Dutchman, Brügger sanctioned the use of the money for travel and other expenses in connection with three further trips to Liberia to secure a title for Brügger – a statement that Politiken.dk is unable to independently verify.

“I became offended when Mr. Cortzen suggested that I was slow. I am a professional attorney and have successfully lobbied and practiced in this country for 32 years. I had never been accused of such a thing before and would not accept it at any price,” Sherman says.

Brügger accepts that he deposited the funds with Sherman, saying that they secured him a meeting at the Liberian foreign ministry where Sherman had ‘put in a good word for him’, the producer says in an e-mail to Politiken.dk.

“Whether this documents corruption or not can always be argued, but I think it is interesting that for USD35,000 up front can get a meeting with the acting foreign minister,” Brügger says, adding that he has a letter from Sherman, written on the presidential party’s notepaper in which he writes that Brügger is in the process of becoming a Liberian consul.

Asked why the film only includes insinuations against the attorney and no recordings or other documentation proving bribery, Brügger says that it all took place away from the camera in a restaurant.

“He told me that Ellen Johnson, the president, has asked all Liberia’s honorary consuls to chip in to her election fund – suggesting that the 35,000 dollars is to be used to get her re-elected. I don’t have this on tape, but my production manager Eva Jacobsen was at the dinner and can confirm what happened,” Brügger writes.

Contrary to Sherman’s explanation, Brügger says that he was the one – following advice from his Dutch cooperating partner, sacked the Liberian attorney as he had fallen out of political favour.

“In other words he had lost his influence and was unable to deliver,” Brügger writes adding that as a result he had the USD35,000 picked up from the attorney

That version, however, is at odds with one of the e-mails between Brügger and Sherman in which the latter begs the attorney to continue.

“Please Sir, with all respect, I urge you; lets not terminate our cooperation when we are this close to reachng the target,” the e-mail says.

“Also I am sorry if you feel I havebeen putting stress on you - this was not my intention. So provided I can still count on your kind and professional assistance, which I very much hope, I will leave my funds in your possension until we reach a final conclusion - and lets make it a positive one,” Brügger writes.

Brügger has confirmed the general authenticity of the e-mails although he feels some of them seem edited.

The fact that the film does not report Varney Sherman returning the USD35,000 and breaking off cooperation – despite the film energetically building him up as a corrupt, elite Liberian, Brügger puts down to storytelling technique.

But although he is unable to document his allegation, Brügger is certain that the money was eventually used to bribe the former Liberian Foreign Minister McIntosh.

“Back in Denmark again I am told that my appointment has finally gone through and I get my diploma and letter of appointment signed by McIntosh and Ellen Johnson,” Brügger writes, reasoning that he must have bribed someone with the money.

The fact that it is not Attorney Varney Sherman as claimed is not particularly important according to Brügger.

“The fact that it is not in the film is because it was too complicated to explain, and the film, as such, is a simplified presentation of the above,” he says.

In a later e-mail he adds:

“What is important for me is that at the end of the day I got my diploma and letter of appointment – which Ellen Johnson has admitted,” Brügger writes. He has declined to be interviewed.

“I have no wish to enter into a discussion with them – and certainly not through Politiken,” Brügger writes.

Sherman says that he dropped the case completely when he broke off cooperation with Brügger and is unable to say how he became a Liberian consul.

“I don’t know. He said he was a Danish businessman who could use an appointment as Liberian consul to get Danish businessmen to invest in Liberia,” Sherman says.

“It was when the foreign minister said that there was already a consul in Denmark that he suggested the Central African Republic. Mr. Cortzen said that because of his connections he would still be able to get investment from Denmark to Liberia,” he adds.

But how is it possible that the Liberian authorities did not discover that he was a Danish media man?

“I really don’t know. I broke off the relationship before the intelligence service had finished their background check and I have not subsequently looked into the case,” Sherman says.

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