Who chopped the inaugural celebration funds provided by then Standard-bearer of the Unity Party (UP), Joseph Nyuma Boakai is the babbling question on the minds of pundits as the Investigative Committee constituted by the ruling party to probe the situation has released its final findings ordering the restitution of the money.

The Special Investigative Committee set up by the Unity Party to investigate the controversial inaugural celebrations fund has presented its report to the Party National Chair Rev. Luther Tarpeh.

It can be recalled that on January 18, 2024, the Unity Party Finance Office reportedly received an amount of US$365.000from the UP's Inaugural Budget and Finance Committee.

The money, according to the party, was given by President Joseph Boakai, then Standard-bearer of the Unity Party, to enable the Seventy-Three (73) electoral districts in the county partake in the inaugural celebration, with a mandate for each district to receive US$5,000.

According to the investigative report, a copy of which is in possession of this paper, all of the county chairs confirmed that they, together with a representative of the county's leadership, signed for and received US$5,000.00 for each of the districts in their county. The investigative committee confirmed that each of the county leadership withdrew US$1,000 from the US$5,000 they received for their districts.

The Investigative Committee also established that, contrary to the disbursement procedure, the party county leadership distributed the fund based on administrative districts instead of electoral districts.

Meanwhile, the Special Investigative Committee has recommended that the counties and districts without receipts, invoices, delivery notes, participant lists, and photos be made to produce the required documents or restitute the amount disbursed at the county, electoral district, and administrative district levels.