3 July 2009
Mr. John Morlu came to the position of Auditor General of Liberia with clean records and credentials having won the admiration of the President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf with the backing from the international community.
Of late, he has come under x-ray for allegedly requesting huge sum of money from the management of the National Social Security and Welfare Corporation (NASSCORP) to audit it. But did he is the question being asked in many quarters.
Before his preferment to head the General Auditing Commission (GAC) most Liberians followed him through his professional review of issues relating to audits thru series of articles, how it is done, what Liberians needed to do to achieve transparency and accountability in the administration of public finance.
And since taking the seat of Auditor General of the GAC, he continues to be hailed by Liberians, mostly the grassrooters, even people in officialdom for what they called "doing the most appositive thing" Liberia lacked since its founding.
Others considered as the "darling" of the new Liberia hoped for, for being in the vanguard of unearthing litanies of corruption in the private and public sectors.
The erudite Morlu, a professionally US-trained auditor struck the cord mostly when he said in a Voice of America interview that the Ellen-led Government was three times corrupt that the government it succeeded. That assertion sparked and ignited public debates across the political divides, but he remained undaunted in his professional pursuits.
The GAC which he heads has succeeded in auditing several institutions, but this is not without public outcry, finger-pointing and accusation, especially the National Social Security and Welfare Corporation (NASSCORP) audit. Now this paper has gathered that the hailed GAC boss allegedly went beyond the bond of duty when reportedly requested 'plenty money' to audit the NASSCORP.
It may be recalled that NASSCORP in his response as published in the Inquirer on May 7, 2009 wrote and accused him (AG Morlu) of requesting US$231,632.40 for what it called "Daily Subsistence Allowance."
This is how NASSCORP put it at the time when it wrote in The Inquirer: "The Auditor General requested USD231, 632.40 as "daily subsistence allowance" for the GAC's audit of the NASSCORP Audit. "After an analysis of the request, the Board of Directors approved Management's recommendation to provide USD70, 000.00. The full amount of USD70, 000 was provided the GAC spelling out in unmistakable terms, the earmarks."
When the NASSCORP's claims are anything to go by, according to observers, then the GAC boss has flaunted the law, especially the Act creating the Commission.
Section 53.10 of the Act establishing the GAC forbids "Acceptance of Money by Officer or Employee of General Auditing" which is the title of that section of the Executive Law of Liberia (as amended June 16, 2006), under which the GAC operates in particular, the above section of the Executive Law of Liberia provides thus: "No official or employee of the General Auditing Commission shall accept any money or gift for services performed for or in way connected with the audit of Government agencies, Government organizations, or private or furistic persons, whether in the form of salaries, fees, expense reimbursements, honorarium, or in any other form. All monies received for restitution of funds shall be paid to the Ministry of Finance."
Most concerned to many Liberians is the fact that Mr. Morlu an outspoken and eloquent gentleman has not made any official response since the accusation was made, and moreover, not many Liberians have shown interest in raising issues since.
In consideration of this, observers are of the belief that his reticence is a tacit confirmation of the NASSCORP's claims.
"It is unreasonable to surmise that the Auditor General of Liberia was ignorant of this clear and explicit provision of the Act of legislation that brought the General Auditing Commission which he heads. Certainly the Auditor General must have read this provision, but chose the act contrary," remarked an observer.
When this paper contacted the Head of Communication of the GAC, Earnest Maximal, he said: "We are tired of the NASSCORP thing. As far as we are concerned, we have conducted our audit and made our reports to the National Legislature with recommendations."
He told this paper via mobile phone that what NASSCORP needed to do was to adhere to recommendations enshrined in the report by improving its operations for the benefit of the Liberian people. According to him, if NASSCORP is not satisfied with the report, it should take the GAC to court and that they are prepared to defend everything to that effect.
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If the allegations prove to be subtantiated, He should be shot.