CAC Condemns ‘Budget Diversion’ Revelation

–Blames House For “Misusing” Authority

As part of efforts to fight wasteful spending in government, a civil society advocacy group named and styled “Citizens Action Committee or CAC” has condemned a media report which accused the House of Representatives Committee on Ways, Means and Finance of financial malfeasance.

According to the media report, members of the House Committee on Ways, Means and Finance altered some budget lines as part of the legislative appropriation for the fiscal year 2018-2019.

CAC said though they condemned the revelation on grounds that it is based on mere gossip and was not evidently proven in the media report, it is also important that the Legislature, specifically the House of Representatives start to put her acts together because it has for long misused her legislative appropriation powers.

“However, ladies and gentlemen of the press, the Citizens Action Committee is saddened over the reportedly blame shifting and innuendo spewed by some media outlets linking the Ministry of Finance and Development Planning to the alleged diversion of funds intended to subsidize some institutions within the health sector,” the group stated through a statement issued in Monrovia.

CAC further explains: “It is an elementary public administrative framework that the National Budget emanates from the Executive to the Legislature for approval and additional appropriation, the statutory and constitutional body clothed with the responsibility to approve all appropriations as enshrined in Chapter 3, Section 11.1.2 of the Public Financial Law of 2009….Concluding ladies and gentlemen of the press, we call on some inconsistent media individuals and outlets to refrain from every act of blackmail targeted at officials of the Ministry of Finance and Development Planning, as this matter squarely rests with the Legislature that has misused and misapplied legislative appropriation power, even during the days of former President Sirleaf.”