Monrovia — Finance Minister Samuel Tweah has issued a stern warning to government ministers who fail to submit financial reports during the accounting period, stating that their salaries will be withheld until compliance is met.
Minister Tweah highlighted the authority granted to him by the Public Financial Management Law, which empowers him to take such action against government officials who neglect their obligation to provide financial reports on the allotments received from the National budget.
This announcement comes in the wake of accusations by Simeon Freeman, the political leader of the Movement for Progressive Change, who claimed that the government's budget implementation was hindered by the absence of financial performance reports.
Freeman, known for his consistent criticism of the Weah administration's economic management, emphasized the importance of budget performance reports and urged President Weah to establish an economic management team. He suggested that the team should review Liberia's current expenditure and object of expenditure to enhance domestic resource mobilization and prioritize investment in import substitution.
Echoing Freeman's concerns, Finance Minister Tweah pointed out that the lack of spending reports has made it challenging for internal auditors to properly scrutinize the books of Ministries and Agencies.
To address this issue, Minister Tweah announced that moving forward, all ministers and heads of government institutions will be required to submit their reports to the Ministry of Finance and Development Planning before receiving their salaries for the following month.
Minister Tweah made this statement during the signing of four financing agreements worth 80 million euros (88 million USD) between the Liberian government and the European Union. These agreements mark the initiation of a new phase in the EU-Liberia development partnership, with a total of 210 million US dollars allocated for this purpose.
The four support programs covered by the agreements focus on electoral support, technical and vocational education, food systems, and forestry, indicating the areas of collaboration between the European Union and Liberia in their joint efforts towards development.
