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Saturday, February 15, 2025

Liberian House Speaker Calls for Probe Over Alleged $20 Million Budget Fraud

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By Festus Poquie

Liberia’s opposition leader in the bicameral legislature, Senator Nathaniel McGill, has called for a boycott of budget talks over allegations of a $20 million fraud committed within the appropriation process.

The accusations of budget manipulation have prompted a swift response from House Speaker Fonati Koffa, who has announced that he will be asking the Legislature’s Leadership for the authority to appoint a joint committee with the Senate to conduct a thorough investigation.

‘We must not only be transparent, we must be perceived to be transparent,” Koffa said in a Facebook post Friday.

The budget, which was approved by the Legislature in May with a total of US$738,859,827, an increase of 6.7% from the version submitted by the Executive, has since faced complaints of alterations.

Representative Clarence Gahr, the chairperson of the House Public Accounts Committee, first drew his colleagues’ attention to the situation, warning that without stringent measures, this could lead to further violations and tampering with laws passed by the Legislature.

In response, members of the House directed their Leadership to invite the Ministry of Finance and Development Planning to address claims of alterations in the 2024 National Budget Law.

The Senate Public Accounts Committee, led by Senator Amara Konneh, has also flagged out significant discrepancies in appropriation between the Legislature’s approved National Budget and the Detailed National Budget as printed.

The committee expressed concern about the reductions in the appropriations for public administration, health, and transparency and accountability sectors, which it said could prevent the government from paying wages for civil servants and volunteer health workers across the country.

The committee has called for a full-scale investigation into these illegal adjustments and has recommended that the Executive Branch republish the budget to reflect the figures and appropriations approved by the Senate Plenary.

As the investigation unfolds, the opposition leader, Senator Nathaniel McGill, has taken a firm stance, urging caucus members to boycott budget talks until the allegations surrounding the $20 million illegal movement in the 2024 budget are thoroughly investigated and addressed.

“Budget manipulation is a serious crime, and accountability must be held at all levels,” McGill said in a Facebook post on Friday.

The ongoing saga highlights the need for transparency and accountability in Liberia’s budget process, as the nation grapples with this potentially significant financial scandal.

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