Acting Minister of Finance and Development Planning, Anthony Myers, has dismissed claims of budget tampering as is being spread by some Representatives and Senators on Capitol Hill -- urging them to verify information of such magnitude before drawing conclusions.
Speaking on the Super Morning Show on ELBC Radio in the early morning hours of August 12, Myers called on members of the 55th Legislature to do a thorough investigation before coming to the public to accuse the executive branch of the government, especially his ministry, of manipulating the national budget.
Minister Myers' remarks follow recent allegations by some lawmakers at the 55th Legislature regarding possible alterations to the approved 2024 budget.
Both chambers of the Legislature in Liberia, the House of Representatives and the Senate, recently disclosed that they 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, the lawmakers raised concerns 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.
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Speaker J. Fonati Koffa, in a Facebook post last week, announced plans to appoint a joint committee with the Senate to look into these claims -- as he sought 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."
However, Minister Myers, during his appearance on the national broadcaster on Monday, said that allegations do not move the Finance Ministry and, as such, its leadership is in no panic mode over the lawmakers' outburst.
"We remain unshaken by these claims because they are not based on facts," he said. "Though the allegations have claimed our attention at the Ministry, it has not caused any unnecessary panic among the leadership at the institution."
The initial budget, approved in April 2024 by the House of Representatives, stood at US$738.8 million, reflecting a 6.7% increase from the proposed US$692 million submitted by the Executive branch. However, a discrepancy of at least US$20 million has since raised alarm among lawmakers.
