-- As Deputy Speaker, Koffa allegedly manipulated the 2023 National Budget to accrue unto himself US$2.9M outside his actual appropriation
The crux of the revolt against the embattled Speaker of the House of Representatives, J. Fonati Koffa, are allegations of blatant public corruption, according to the majority bloc who are calling for the ousting of the Speaker is not far from the truth, if a review of the 2023 national budget by the Daily Observer is anything to go by.
In the 2023 budget, as per a review of the overturn report done by the Observer on Monday, the office of the Deputy Speaker was allocated US$1,541,025, but the outturn amounted to US$4,038,687. This was $2,936,159 higher than the actual amount allotted to that office by the Ministry of Finance. The outturn report examines the actual expenditure against the approved budget for the year, representing the fourth budget monitoring report of the fiscal year.
It could be recalled that on October 17, 2024, 47 members of the 55th legislature's House of Representatives signed a resolution to remove Koffa, the speaker of the house.
The signed resolution, among other things, claimed that the Speaker, Koffa, during his tenure as Deputy Speaker of the 54th Legislature, alarmingly overspent his budget and was believed to have used his budget line as a conveyor for suspicious financial transactions. This is evidenced by the alarming outrun of US$4,038,687 (actual money spent), a whopping US$2,936,159 higher than the amount of US$1,102,528 budgeted for the fiscal year 2023 for the office of the Deputy Speaker.
The signed resolution raised concerns about Speaker J. Fonati Koffa's financial management during his term as Deputy Speaker of the 54th Legislature -- It highlighted an overspending issue and suspicions of questionable financial transactions. Specific reference was made to an actual expenditure of US$4,038,687 significantly surpassing the budgeted amount of US$1,102,528 for the Deputy Speaker's office in the fiscal year 2023.
The revolting lawmakers stated that Koffa's actions amount to systemic corruption, which they believe has tarnished the reputation of the speaker's office and compromised the credibility of the House. They argue that this behavior may violate Article 5(c) of the 1986 Constitution of Liberia.
Article 5(c) states, "Take steps, by appropriate legislation and executive orders, to eliminate sectionalism and tribalism, and such abuses of power as the misuse of government resources, nepotism, and all other corrupt practices."
Also, those aggrieved lawmakers used Rule 44.1 of the House's Rule as a legal reliance for their removal proceedings.
"A detailed review of the 2022 and 2023 budget outturn reveals that Speaker Koffa, during his tenure as Deputy Speaker, manipulated the budget to divert millions of dollars to his office. In 2022, while the Legislature approved US$1.5 million for his office, Koffa received US$5.6 million in cash by the end of that fiscal year. Similarly, in 2023, his office was allotted US$1.1 million, yet he received and collected US$4.1 million in cash again for himself," the group alleged.
Representative Nya Flomo of Nimba County said at a press conference over the weekend that, "over the course of these two fiscal years, his office was allotted US$2.6 million, but he pocketed a total of US$9.7 million, an excess of over US$7 million that was not legitimately allocated to him but yet to be accounted for by the Speaker."
With these and many other accusations, the majority bloc is calling for an independent investigation by the Liberia Anti-Corruption Commission (LACC) to probe these financial transactions, as they may violate established regulations governing public fund usage.
The Rules, under the subheading, 'Being Free From Corrupt state', says that: "Members are expected to fight corruption effectively by being free from corrupt practices and opposing corruption and set an example in any anti-corruption struggle."
"This is why we are now standing up to ensure that we put an end to Koffa's corrupt acts. He no longer enjoys the confidence of the majority membership," Representative Clarence Gahr, Chairman of the House's Public Accounts Committee, said in an interview on Sunday.
Reacting to the accusations, the Speaker in a statement on Monday, noted that most, if not all of the accusations against him are false.
"While it's true that my colleagues may have some legitimate concerns, I categorically dismiss 99.9 % as untrue and political. Let me, in the same tone, denounce the approach they've taken to address them," he said.
He had earlier told the press that the disenchantment of some lawmakers is about attitudes and tactics and not principles.
Koffa, however, shifted attention to the US$15K bribery allegations or financial inducement that has cast a shadow over the integrity of his opponents.
"This, we will investigate," he said. "The information available today suggests that they have hired what they called 'staff support units' to break down the doors and invade any room in the building to hold Sessions.
"Democracy doesn't go hand in hand with violence. I urge them to come up right in our regular Chamber and civilly state their concerns.
He said that he firmly believes in democratic principles that allow for the expression of opinions without fear or favor. "I extend my heartfelt gratitude to those who signed a resolution to state their concerns and remained firm. I am grateful to those who signed, reconsidered, and rescinded their decision, those who chose not to sign, and even those who were not approached to sign," he said. "Initially, we heard of 47 and as of last night, we are hearing that the number is reduced to 37. We are looking up another figure by 5 pm today. We will always be divided but our division should not allow the work of the people to be unattended."
He called on all of his colleagues to reaffirm their commitment to due process to serve the Liberian people above all else.
"As we gear up for our final sitting of the 2024 Legislative Year on Tuesday, October 22, 2024, our focus remains on uplifting our constituents rather than undermining the very fabric of our political system," he said. "Together, we will extinguish the threats against our democracy, and those who misuse public resources in an attempt to destabilize our nation will certainly come to regret it.
'Monkey Can't Leave Its Black Hands Behind'
The accusation of blatant corruption on Capitol Hill is not the first time that the Speaker has been involved in financial improprieties. He was charged and convicted of four federal offenses linked to the misappropriation of US$500,000, an amount that usually carries significant penalties. However, despite the seriousness of the charges, Koffa received a relatively lenient sentence of two and a half years in prison.
Koffa's defense attorney, Rick Gammon, was instrumental in obtaining the lenient sentence. Koffa asserted that he misappropriated funds with the intention of contributing to infrastructure development in Liberia, a storyline that resonated with some individuals, including his lawyer. While Gammon commended Koffa's stated altruistic motives, many said it was important to assess the accuracy of these assertions.
Interestingly, the prosecution did not contest Koffa's expenditure of approximately US$465,000 on public projects in Liberia. However, they raised suspicions that these initiatives were potentially geared towards supporting the 2005 presidential campaign of Charles Walker Brumskine (now deceased). This prompted questions regarding the prosecution's thoroughness in confirming the validity of Koffa's stated purposes for the funds allocated to these public projects.
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"This man is noted for stealing money, and it will come a time that Liberians will actually know who this Koffa is and how he is siphoning millions that should have gone to the people's welfare," one of the newly elected leaders of the Majority Bloc told the Observer. "Koffa and corruption are like the monkey and its black hands--the monkey can never leave its black hands behind, so is Koffa and corruption. But we pray that it will not be late when Liberians start to see the truth."
"He also presents himself like he is working in the interest of the people, but he is actually working in his own interest. Sadly Liberians are blind to these things. They don't want to open their eyes."
Koffa has shown signs of repentance since his relocation to Liberia after his terrible corruption experience in the US. He once indicated that he has now become more matured and understands life from a diverse perspective, especially the humanity side. "I have learned to be of more help to people now then just thinking about myself. Serving humanity is a divine mandate," he said.
Despite preaching sermons of repentance most of the time, many of Koffa's colleagues do not believe that he is a change man who prioritizes the welfare of the poor.
"Koffa is involved in a lot of shady deals. The ones we have cataloged are just tips of the icebergs," Gahr said on Sunday. "He is enriching himself at the expense of the poor people."
Gahr accused the Speaker of having a track record of deception--a trait that might have been exposed by the embezzlement case in the US.
From falsely claiming to be born in Chicago to presenting conflicting information about his upbringing and personal life, Koffa's credibility is highly questionable.
Gahr noted that the Speaker has the ability to switch personalities and manipulate those around him is evident, as seen in the contrasting testimonies of supporters and victims during his trial.
