In February 2009, the President presented three Forest Management Contracts (FMC), totaling 235, 876 hectares of forest, to the Liberian Legislature for ratification. This is in spite of overwhelming evidence of system failures, bad leadership at the Forestry Development Authoirty (FDA), illegal actions, and misguided decisions that characterized the processes leading to the issuance of these contracts. All of these have been possible because of a conflict of interest that is allowed under the forest law. The FDA serves as manager of the forest, facilitator and regulator of decision making processes related to the forest, which it interprets as an expansive discretionary authority.