The punishment for contempt here includes a fine of up to $5,000 or imprisonment for up to one month, and decisions from legislative contempt cases are not subject to appeal.
The House of Representatives has charged Liberia's Finance Minister Boima Kamara with contempt for repeatedly refusing to appear.
The House of Representatives has accused Minister Kamara of allegedly failing to appear before it after three separate citations.
It decided Tuesday, June 25, 2024, to hold Mr. Kamara in contempt after he told the House that he could not appear before it due to the presence of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) delegation in Liberia.
The House of Representatives used its contempt power as outlined in Rule Four. The provision defines contempt as any action that obstructs the legislative function or hinders the duties of its members and officers.
According to Rule Four, the punishment for contempt shall include a fine of up to $5,000 or imprisonment for up to one month, or the duration of the current session of the House. The decisions made in contempt cases are not subject to appeal.
Minister Kamara and officials from the Liberia Revenue Authority, Internal Affairs, and Liberia Petroleum Refining Company had been invited to provide financial updates on consolidated accounts and bank balances and validate the Liberia Revenue Authority's reports on revenue collection.
All other parties have cooperated, but the Ministry of Finance's refusal to appear has been deemed contemptuous.
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It led to a request for another appearance on Thursday, June 27, 2024, and Minister Kamara is expected to be accompanied by his legal counsel.
Also appearing before the House of Representatives was the Managing Director of the Liberia Petroleum Refining Company (LPRC) Amos Tweh.
But Mr. Tweh could not speak because according to House Speaker J. Fonita Koffa, he presented some documents to them that need to be investigated.
Koffa said he would set up a committee, but that didn't go down well with some members of the House of Representatives.
The House recently invited the various government institutions concerned following a communication from Rep. J. Marvin Cole to explain the alleged violation of Article 34:D 111.
They were accused of allowing/borrowing millions of US Dollars from the ECOBANK of Liberia Limited without the legislature's authority.
