Both chambers of the 55th Legislature in Liberia, the House of Representatives and the Senate are preparing to investigate potential alterations to the approved 2024 budget. The initial budget of US$738,859,827, approved by the House of Representatives in April, represented a 6.7% increase from the Executive's proposed US$692 million.
However, concerns have been raised about discrepancies amounting to at least US$20 million since the passage of the budget. Various lawmakers, including Rep. Clarence Gahr, as well as Senators Amara Konneh (Gbarpolu), and Nathaniel McGill (Margibi), have expressed alarm over the alleged budget tampering and called for a thorough investigation.
The discrepancies in the final budget, such as mentions of the Legislative Budget Office instead of the Public Accounts Committee, have sparked further scrutiny.
Speaker J. Fonati Koffa has announced plans to appoint a joint committee with the Senate to look into these claims.
The Speaker of the House of Representatives, J. Fonati Koffa, in a Facebook post, said he is seeking approval from the House to launch a thorough investigation into the reported tampering.
"Following numerous allegations on budget alterations, I will be asking the Leadership of the House of Representatives for the authority to appoint a Joint Committee with the Senate for a thorough investigation," Koffa said. "We must not only be transparent but we must also be perceived to be transparent."
Though the Legislature is on recess, reliable sources on Capitol Hill have informed the Daily Observer that the leadership of the House of Representatives is expected to meet in the House's first-floor conference room on August 12th at noon to discuss and vote on the Speaker's request to appoint a joint committee with the Senate to investigate numerous allegations of budget alterations thoroughly.
If the House's leadership votes in agreement, a Specialized Committee comprising at least 15 persons will be appointed. The Senate will also be notified to appoint theirs to constitute a "Specialized Joint Committee" with a task and timeline to investigate and submit to their respective leaderships.
When the Legislature is in recess, the leadership of each House designates 15 persons to run the activities of each House.
Meanwhile, it may be recalled that Rep. Gahr pointed out discrepancies in the final printed version of the budget. He claimed that during the 2024 budget deliberations, it was unanimously agreed that any references to the Legislative Budget Office (LBO) should be replaced with the Public Accounts Committee (PAC). Despite this agreement, the printed budget still mentioned the LBO as the supervising body for the allocation and use of funds by government ministries and agencies.
In his communication, the Margibi lawmaker emphasized the significance of upholding legislative decisions to maintain integrity and transparency in government operations.
Following Rep. Gahr's complaint, Senator Konneh and his team highlighted significant discrepancies in appropriations between the Legislature's approved National Budget and the Detailed National Budget as printed.
The Senate Public Accounts Committee noted that the figures presented in the printed Budget Act on May 8, 2024, differ markedly from those enacted by the National Legislature on April 30, 2024. Additionally, the figures printed in the detailed budget book vary significantly from the enacted appropriations and the Budget Act.
The committee expressed concern over the reductions in appropriations: 6.9% for public administration, 0.5% for health, and 2.1% for transparency and accountability sectors. They warned that these cuts could hinder the government's ability to pay wages to civil servants and volunteer health workers nationwide.
"These alterations raise concerns that the Executive Branch may have disregarded the Constitutional authority of the National Legislature over appropriating funds," the Committee stated.
The Senate Committee also pointed out that the printed Budget Act of 2024 contains figures different from those passed by the Plenary of the Liberian Senate on June 30, 2024, as initially received from the House of Representatives. They added that the Secretary of the Senate had initialed a table representing the headline numbers for the eleven sectors of the Budget. Yet, the printed versions of the Budget Act and Budget Book show different figures. This discrepancy suggests a fundamental issue of constitutional violation or potential criminal forgery, warranting an immediate investigation.
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Concerns have been raised about the potential impacts that the tampering would have on government operations, including the ability to pay wages to civil servants and health workers.
Sen. McGill, in his capacity as chairman of the CDC Legislative Caucus, has urged caution in budget debates until the investigation into the alleged budget alterations is complete.
He made a clarion call: "As Chairman of the CDC Legislative Caucus, I am calling on the Speaker, Deputy Speaker, and all members of the CDC Legislative Caucus to not proceed with any budget debates, whether the recast or 2025 budgets until the allegations surrounding the US$20 million illegal movement in the 2024 budget are thoroughly investigated and addressed."
He added: "Budget manipulation is a serious crime and accountability must be held at all levels."
Meanwhile, the importance of accountability and transparency in government operations has been emphasized throughout these proceedings.
