The Inquirer (Monrovia)
Morrison O.G. Sayon
27 March 2008
Barely three days following the ratification of the restated version of the Firestone Concession Agreement by the Liberian Senate, the House of Representatives has completed the ratification of the bill by concurring with the Upper House.
The ratification of the Firestone renegotiated Act was done yesterday at a special session held yesterday by the Lower House of parliament following the suspension of the bribery case that continue to haunt that august body. Members of the Lower House concurred with the Liberian Senate on the restated version of the Firestone Act following diverse views on the agreement especially on the land rental fees.
In its ratification, the House of Representatives concurred that 67 percent of the land rental fees be allotted as development fund for Margibi County, the host county of the Firestone Rubber Company. In the amended version, the lawmakers also concurred that 33 percent of the fees be allotted to Montserrado County as development fund.
The lawmakers at the same time called on the management of Firestone to allocate some funds dubbed, scholarship funds for students in Margibi and Montserrado Counties.
Recently, the Liberian Senate ratified the new Firestone agreement submitted to the national legislature by the Executive Mansion after the document was renegotiated between the government of Liberia and the management of the Firestone Rubber Company.
The Firestone Concession agreement was entered into between the erstwhile National Transitional Government of Liberia (NTGL) then headed by its Chairman, Charles Gyude Bryant and the Firestone Rubber Company.
The agreement was renegotiated by the Ellen-led government due to what the government considered as flaws and defects that were said to be in the NTGL/Firestone deal.
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