Former Auditor General John Morlu has criticized the Liberia Anti-Corruption Commission’s (LACC) probe into former Minister of State for Presidential Affairs and current Senator Nathaniel McGill, calling the focus on the supplementary payroll “misplaced” and a “waste of time.”
In a statement, Morlu argued that the issue of supplementary payrolls is not limited to McGill’s tenure, as ministries such as Education, Internal Affairs, State, and Health have had similar payrolls since 2000. He noted that the Ministry of Finance has even had four different supplementary payrolls.
Morlu acknowledged that while the use of supplementary payrolls is a governance issue, it does not necessarily equate to corruption. He emphasized that the “real issue with ghost workers lies elsewhere, not in supplementary payrolls.”
Morlu also pointed out that the supplementary payrolls for the Ministries of Health and Education were financed by USAID, suggesting that the LACC should focus on more serious matters instead of pursuing what he considers a “trivial” issue.
The Johnson Sirleaf era Auditor General urged the LACC to instead investigate the $55 million letter transfer to the National Security Agency and audit the Executive Protection Service, stating that these would be more meaningful targets for the anti-corruption efforts.
Morlu warned that the LACC’s focus on the supplementary payroll issue could “turn McGill into a hero” and cautioned that the agency might be “wasting time and resources” on a matter that, at worst, could be considered “bad governance.”
In response, Senator Nathaniel McGill acknowledged receiving a communication from the LACC requesting his presence to provide information related to the allegations of payroll padding and corruption. McGill expressed his commitment to transparency and accountability, stating that he would attend the inquiry session and address the press afterward.
The Auditor General’s criticism of the LACC’s approach to the investigation highlights the ongoing debate around the impartiality and open minded nature of the government’s anti-corruption war.
