Monrovia — Montserrado County Electoral District #10 Representative Yekeh Y. Kolubah was not only thrown out of session on the first day of return from the break for the fifth session, he now risks legal action from Public Works Minister-designate, Madam Ruth Coker-Collins who he accused in open session of having an affair with Minister of State Nathaniel McGill.
The opening session of the House of Representatives was Tuesday, May 17, 2022, marred by drama and as usual from the Montserrado County lawmaker, who maintained that his amendments to the motion for the adoption of the agenda be accepted.
As part of his agenda, he asked the movant to accept his request to invite Public Works Minister-designate Ruth Coker Collins to plenary for allegedly ordering her team at the Ministry of Public Works to assault him and damage his property.
The controversial District #10 lawmaker pointed out in Plenary that the Minister had stated before in the past that the only way she will ever appear before the House is unless she is no more in an affair with Minister McGill, adding that the Speaker should now put an end to his recklessness and do the right things to save the face of the House.
However, in response to the allegation by the lawmaker, Minister Coker-Collins in the statement on Wednesday, May 18, 2022, described the allegation as reckless, outlandish, and disparaging, thus threatening legal action against him if he doesn't retract those comments against her.
"The Office of the Minister-designate, therefore, encourages Representative Kolubah to immediately retract his comments within forty-eight hours or risk a lawsuit," said the MPW Minister-designate.
In further defense, Minister Coker-Collins asserted that her office on March 3, 2022 at about 10: am received a communication from Representative Yekeh Kolubah, informing her that he could not attend a zoning hearing which was scheduled for March 2, 2022 on grounds that it was "interfering with his schedule at the House of Representatives."
She indicated that the zoning meeting was prompted by a "stop work" orderissued by Zoning Officers at the MPW in fulfillment of their duties as inscribed in the Executive Law, Chapter 27.
The Works Minister-designate pointed out that investigation that gave rise to the "stop work" order shows that Representative Kolubah could not produce a copy of his permit, rather a copy of drawings with individual signatures; one of which is still with the Ministry.
The Minister indicated that the document presented did not include a payment receipt from the General Revenue Account and the land's original owner was Saye Sipppi in 1986 and not Kolubah.
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"Drawing from this evidential and authentic information as contained in the Report on the Matter involving Rep. Kolubah, the Ministry expresses dismay over the willful, unwarranted and deliberate acts of violation of the Zoning Laws of Liberia by some citizens, with specific emphasis on public officials who continue to flagrantly circumvent these statues; thereby undermining the works of the Ministry of Public Works and the Government of Liberia by extension," stated the statement.
"Therefore, the Ministry calls on the Public to do the needful by contacting the Zoning Division pursuant to Section 102 of the Zoning Law which provides: "zoning permits shall hereafter be secured from the zoning officer prior to the construction, erection, or alteration of any building or structure or parts thereof, any sign larger than three square feet in area," it added.
