Liberia News: HUNT FOR CRIMINALS

Liberia-House Speaker J. Fonati Koffa is troubled by alleged alterations in this year’s approved national budget and has called for a joint probe of both House of Representatives and the Senate.

Liberians are now asking as to who may have done changes to the approved budget. So, the hunt for the criminals who changed the budget has begun.

Some Liberians told this paper that this is not strange. Similar things have happened over the past years, but were reluctant to investigate. “But now, this speaker is not going to leave it in that way. It is criminal and those who did it should be exposed,” Madam Alice S. Kollie, a market woman said.

Speaker Koffa last Friday announced an intention to seek authorization from  House leadership to form a Joint Committee with the Senate to conduct a comprehensive investigation into allegations of unauthorized alterations made to the 2024 Fiscal Budget.

“We shouldn’t only be perceived as transparent; we must be transparent and transparent to the letter, thus promoting open governance,” he said, adding the proposed joint committee would thoroughly examine the allegations and ensure any discrepancies in the budget are addressed with integrity and clarity.

Members of the National Legislature claimed that officials within the Executive branch unilaterally made changes to the 2024 national budget after it was approved by the Legislature, arguing that figures printed in official handbills differed from those enacted by the Legislature.

It is alleged that the Executive redirected US$20 million from the approved budget, leading to a 6.9% reduction in appropriations for public administration, a 0.5% cut in health funding, and a 2.1% decrease in allocations for transparency and accountability sectors.

The legislators stated that alleged alterations could impact the government’s ability to pay wages for civil servants and volunteer health workers across the country.

The Senate’s Public Accounts Committee has already taken seize of the issue, and classified the alleged actions as form of forgery, and recommended that those involved be referred to the Ministry of Justice for prosecution.

The Committee wants the Minister of Finance and Development Planning to explain each amendment, in accordance with the Public Financial Management (PFM) law, stating that if the adjustments represent a significant breach of the separation of powers as outlined in the Liberian Constitution, if proven to be true.

Lawmakers have hailed the Speaker’s decision for a Joint House and Senate Committee.

Gbarpolu County Senator Amara Konneh described the move as a positive step towards maintaining good governance, saying “Speaker Koffa’s decision to establish a joint committee to investigate the reported budget modifications following its enactment is a positive step in good governance. It reminds us of Baron de Montesquieu’s words: ‘The decline of every government starts with the erosion of the principles on which it was built.’ In this case, the Liberian people voted for this government on the principles of good governance, which begins with a credible budget. They deserve to know if the budget, their money, is credible.”

Adding his voice, Senator Nathaniel F. McGill of Margibi County, urged members of the CDC Legislative Caucus to halt all budget-related discussions until the allegations surrounding the US$20 million budget adjustment are fully investigated and addressed.

He said: “As Chairman of the CDC Legislative Caucus, I am calling on the Speaker, Deputy Speaker, and all members of the CDC Legislative Caucus to not proceed with any budget debates, whether the recast or 2025 budgets, until the allegations surrounding the US$20 million illegal movement in the 2024 budget are thoroughly investigated and addressed.”

According to Liberians, the controversy over the alleged budget changing has the potential to cast a shadow on the current administration’s commitment to transparency and accountability.