By H Matthew Turry
The Center for Transparency and Accountability in Liberia (CENTAL) has called on the House of Representatives to be transparent and lawful in removing the leadership.
Addressing a news conference Thursday, October 24,2024, CENTAL boss Anderson Miamen said, the decision of the Lower House in this instant case, must be lawful, transparent, and void of alleged and confirmed incidences of bribery and other forms of corruption.
“We call for thorough investigation into the current bribery allegations and other issues emerging regarding budget corruption and tempering, which maybe undisputable due to how some representatives and senators have acquired stolen wealth, which their salaries and incomes cannot justify.
According to Anderson Miamen, for too long Liberians have been robbed of their taxes and other resources and assets by unscrupulous individuals and officials, including some members of the legislature.
“We are disappointed in the Legislature’s continuous link to corruption and bad decision-making. Coupled with previous occurrences, these bribery allegations have demonstrated that the Legislature has not properly and independently performed its oversight, law-making, and other functions”.
He narrated by saying, “It is widely believed that, often, laws passed and financial instruments concluded are not properly scrutinized, due to reported receipt of bribes and other undue payments by businesses and others alike.
The body directly representing Liberians and overseeing the work of the two other branches of government cannot be the weakest link, evident by their often-poor decision-making and alleged corrupt dealings.
He told newsmen that, “The legislature must rise above negativities and adopt a more positive attitude and reputation, if it must be taken seriously and regarded by citizens and partners as a key and reliable pillar of the country’s democracy and governance process.
“Individual lawmakers have the responsibility to set high standards and provide leadership and direction for the country. The current wave of allegations of bribery to unseat the current speaker does not help to place lawmakers in a morally-uprightly position to play such very important roles”.
He said, “We welcome the Liberia Anti-Corruption Commission’s swift move to publicly announce the initiation of any independent investigation into the bribery scandal characterizing ongoing process to remove Speaker Koffa.
“We urge the Commission to be timely and holistic in investigating the matter and all other emerging issues and allegations, including accusations of wrongdoing by the Speaker”
Stating, ‘this latest bribery scandal and other emerging issues present an opportunity for LACC to thoroughly investigate these matters and provide clear information to the public on the outcomes.
“Additionally, encourage the Commission to go beyond the allegation of bribery to remove the speaker and investigate other issues that are emerging, including revelations from the Speaker about budget corruption and manipulation involving some representatives”.
“We strongly urge the Legislature to open itself up for all forms of audit and other review processes, as maybe prescribed by the General Auditing Commission and other statutorily-mandated institutions”, he said
“This is a call Liberians have been making for ever so long, along with development partners and some members of the legislature itself.
Miamen noted that Liberians are eagerly awaiting the conclusion of such a comprehensive financial and other forms of audit that provide detailed, inclusive, and credible information on how budgeted resources of the Legislature have been expended, over the years.
He further by saying, “We call on the Ministry of Justice to collaborate with LACC to investigate and prosecute past and current lawmakers embroiled in alleged corrupt financial and other dealings. It is about time that we erase the notion and insinuations that lawmakers are above the law and or immune from accountability or prosecution for their alleged wrong doings.
“We call on our development partners to closely follow these and other developments to take the necessary actions to help ensure transparency and accountability in public service in Liberia.
While calling greater leadership at the Legislature, CENTAL boss said, “We urge members and the leadership to ensure that transparency, integrity, rule of law and other good governance principles characterize their actions and decision-making.
“We call for full investigation of the publicized bribery allegations and other issues by the state. Liberians deserve better leadership, selflessness, transparency and other attributes of a leaders”.
