By E. J. Nathaniel Daygbor
A political firestorm erupted Tuesday after Benedict Kolubah, former Assistant Finance Minister under Ex President George Weah, issued a blistering statement accusing Liberia’s top legislative leaders of “money cannibalism” and “financial bloodsucking” in the 2026 national budget.
Kolubah’s research, though not conclusive on outright corruption, paints a damning picture of resource concentration at the highest levels of the Legislature. He singled out Senate Pro Tempore Nyonblee Karnga Lawrence of Grand Bassa County, House Speaker Richard Nagbe Koon, and Deputy Speaker Thomas Fallah, alleging their offices consume staggering sums in salaries and staff allocations.
According to Kolubah, the three leaders’ pocket annual salaries ranging from $209,000 to $256,000—roughly $17,000 to $21,000 per month—while their staff allocations balloon to $340,000, $400,000, and $219,000 respectively. Together, these offices drain about $1.67 million annually on salaries alone. “This is money cannibalism,” Kolubah thundered, insisting that such lavish compensation siphons scarce public resources while ordinary Liberians struggle without hospitals, schools, or roads.
The statement further highlights what Kolubah calls “financial bloodsucking” in legislative hearings. His review of budget pages 7–11 revealed that the House of Representatives appropriated nearly $3.9 million for hearings—surpassing the budget of the Financial Intelligence Agency. The Senate, he noted, allocated $2.9 million plus $738,000 for its Public Accounts Committee, totaling $3.6 million. Combined, the Legislature’s hearings budget approaches $7.6 million, eclipsing the General Auditing Commission’s $6.35 million allocation.
“What is conspicuous,” Kolubah declared, “is that Senate Pro Tempore Nyonblee Karnga has publicly distanced herself from these allocations, effectively washing her hands of this financial bloodsucking.” While stressing that the figures do not prove criminal corruption, he argued they reveal a disturbing pattern: a budget designed to serve elites rather than the people.
The revelations have ignited public outrage. Civil society activists describe the allocations as “a betrayal of trust,” warning that unchecked legislative spending undermines accountability and deepens poverty. Analysts caution that the Legislature’s appetite for resources threatens to erode confidence in governance at a time when Liberia faces mounting economic challenges.
Kolubah’s statement reverberates as a rallying cry for reform. “Oh yes,” he concluded, “such financial bloodsucking doesn’t make the budget work for the common people. The Legislature is financially sucking the blood of the state purse.”
Whether lawmakers will respond to the charges remains uncertain. But one thing is clear: Kolubah’s fiery words have thrust the Legislature’s spending habits into the national spotlight, forcing Liberians to confront the question of whose interests their budget truly serves.
