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Claim: A Facebook user, Titus Williams Sr., alleged on “FRIES FM” that former President Weah’s trip to Saudi Arabia resulted in the construction of $23 million Emirates Hospital.
Verdict: Misleading! An Executive Mansion report reveals that the source of the funding was the United Arab Emirates, not Saudi Arabia and the total cost of construction of the Emirates Hospital was $20 million.
Full Text:
A Facebook user, Titus Williams Sr., posted on the social media platform “FRIES FM,” claiming that former president George Weah’s trip to Saudi Arabia brought the country 23 million dollars, which led to the construction of the Emirates Hospital.
The post by Titus Williams Sr. was compared to President Joseph Boakai’s visits to Indonesia, the USA, and Nigeria.
The post generated 161 likes and 170 comments.
One of the commenters, Bill Emmanuel Walker, refuted Williams’ claim that the cost of the Emirates is $23 million.
Another commenter, Harold Thepatrioticking Clark, also disagreed with Williams’ claim.
Based on the controversy the publication triggered, DUBAWA decided to conduct a fact-check on Titus Williams Sr.’s claim.
Verification
The researcher first contacted Titus Williams Sr. to provide evidence for his claim, but he refused to respond to the many inquiries.
The researcher then found an Executive Mansion press release from December 2022, during the tenure of former President George Weah, which stated that the construction of the Hospital was funded by the government of the United Arab Emirates.
“The Liberian Leader informed the gathering that the project selection, groundbreaking and construction of this facility are traceable to what he terms “the selfless decision I made many years ago when, at the pinnacle of my soccer career, to leave Europe and play for a relatively unknown team in the UAE, called AL JAZEERA.”
“That move, you must know, was one based on the friendship I shared at the time with the then Crown Prince, His Highness Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, who this year became President of the United Arab Emirates,” the statement said.
Other credible media publications, including Frontpage Africa and Thenewdawn, also confirmed the fact that funds for the construction of the Emirates Hospital came from UAE and Saudi Arabia. The cost for the project was pegged at $20 million the reports said.
Conclusion:
Based on evidence from the Executive Mansion and credible media institutions, the claim made by Titus Williams is false.
