Monrovia — Members of the Liberian Senate are demanding answers from LACE Executive Director Julius K. Sele over US$600,000 spent on recruiting engineers for 364 legislative projects, accusing him of bypassing their oversight and ignoring proper consultation.
On Thursday, Mr. Sele appeared before the Senate Committee of a whole, presided over by Sinoe County Senator, Crayton O. Duncan, Chair on Autonomous Agencies and Commissions Committee to, among other things, update the committee members on the status of legislative projects across the country.
In his deliberations, the LACE Executive Director made a shocking revelation about money spent to hire engineers. "We spent US$600,000 to do a countrywide assessment, recruitment of engineers, and the designs for all 364 projects across the country". He noted that the money is a portion of the US$4.7 million approved for legislative projects in the 2024 recast National Budget.
Several senators, including Duncan, Thomas Yaya Nimely (Grand Gedeh), Gbehzohngar M. Findley (Grand Bassa), Dabah Varpilah (Grand Cape Mount), J. Gbleh-bo Brown (Maryland), Momo T. Cyrus (Lofa), Nya Twayen (Nimba) and Abraham Darius Dillon (Montserrado), among others, raised accountability concerns, stating their dissatisfaction for disregarding their legislative oversight responsibility by Mr. Sele during the recruitment process.
Senator Findley questioned Mr. Sele over how he is going to award contracts to contractors after the use of US$600,000 from the US$4.7 million, which he believes is a huge sum.
"My concern here is how are you going to award these contracts because where I sit today, maybe my colleagues will do it but I will not support LACE to get a dime for legislative projects, and you will not get my support on that. He also urged the LACE boss to figure out addressing his concerns upon his reappearance next Tuesday before the committee.
Also speaking, Senator Nimely expressed his disappointment in Mr. Sele, stressing that the LACE boss has abrogated unto himself the authority of making his own decision and downplaying the role of the legislators, whom according to him, Sele works for.
"We are the ones that asked for the money, and you came out and said you're qualified to expand that money and give us tangibles in return," the Grand Gedeh Senator stressed. He described Mr. Sele as the commanding general who chose to do his thing.
Senator Nimely revealed that during the assessment by a team from LACE, the citizens of his county were excited and even presented them a goat as a sign of gratitude after disclosing plans to build a palaver hut. "And everything you did there's no consultation. You said you've been having challenges but we have been having serious challenges with you".
Nimely accused Sele of refusing to effectively communicate with members of the Senate, adding that whatever he had ever requested regarding the designs for legislative projects in his county, the LACE boss failed to submit a design but rather a palaver hut.
"Mr. Director, usually, I can tell witnesses', thank you but this one, I'm not going to tell you thank you because you have not done well. Senator Dabah Varpilah said. She stressed that lawmakers usually advocate for legislative projects because they directly benefit the citizens.
She emphasized that unlike any contractor in Grand Cape Mount County who is proven incompetent with demonstrated evidence, LACE should muster the courage to award contracts to local contractors in the county as a means of creating jobs.
"So, I am interested to know how did the advertisement go, whether the people in Cape Mount did not meet the qualifications in terms of the companies' abilities to perform, I need to know that when you come back on Tuesday," Senator Varpilah stated.
She concluded by strongly warning Mr. Sele not to award any contract to any contractor until he reappears and all concerns of individual senators are addressed.
At the same time, Senator Wellington Geevon-Smith highlighted the political benefit that comes to each senator when a legislative project is done. He also expressed doubt over the US$600,000 spent by Mr. Sele and his team at LACE on the reasons he outlined.
He demanded that the LACE boss produce the designs for all 364 proposed legislative projects. "You know, I'm a member of the budget committee. You're going to find it extremely hard for your consideration in the coming budget because the senate will not empower you for you to undermine us in our counties".
Initial budget of LACE in the 2024 National Budget
During his deliberations, Sele reminded the body of the US$11.8 million approved in the national budget for LACE. He said after the passage of the budget, the agency began compiling a framework document; something he said originated in 2015 during the last term of former President Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf.
According to him, the idea to formulate a framework document to guide all legislative projects came following the former President requesting said document after she had suspended the projects.
As a precedent case, the LACE boss said a similar document was formulated in line with the budgetary appropriation for the House of Representatives and the Liberian Senate in the 2024 budget, adding that the framework document was signed by the President Pro Tempore, Nyonblee Karnga-Lawrence on behalf of the Senate, while Speaker J. Fonati Koffa signed on behalf of the House of Representatives.
He further stated that the document was taken to the Ministry of Finance and Development Planning and was signed. 'One of the provisions of that document says that, 'upon signing of this agreement, the funding shall be transferred immediately to the designated account that will be proposed by LACE'.
"So, based on precedence, we did it and submitted it with the hope that the Ministry of Finance would adhere to this provision that they signed onto," he stated.
He noted that at the end of the assessment, his team derived the bid result. "Contractors applied for the different provisions that were advertised; that concluded around the end of August".
Challenges with getting funding to jumpstart projects
Sele further disclosed writing then acting Minister of Finance and Development Planning, Benjamin Myers, to do an immediate transfer of the needed funds in an account identified by LACE for the kickoff of the projects but according to him, the ministry failed to release the funds.
"And while I was going back and forth with that, I was keeping the Pro Tempore [Senator Nyonblee Karnga-Lawrence] and the Speaker [Cllr. J. Fonati Koffa] abreast of the delay. Nothing happened until the current Minister [Augustine Kpehe Ngafuan] took office," he stated.
According to him, Minister Ngafuan was served an official communication in September, 2024, informing him about the urgency to begin the projects as the Dry Season was approaching. In addition to said effort with the minister, he sought an appointment with President Joseph Nyuma Boakai regarding the same challenge.
Sign up for free AllAfrica Newsletters
Get the latest in African news delivered straight to your inbox
"The meeting was granted and for the fact that nothing has started relating to the district development project, and the coming of Minister Ngafuan, we were hopeful," the LACE boss indicated.
US$5.3 million Vs. US$4.7 million
Sele revealed that the Finance Ministry, during his appearance before the committee, informed him of Five Million Three Hundred Ten Thousand (US$5,310,000) being appropriated under the recast budget. However, he stated that following the analysts' review of the document, it was revealed that over US$5.3 million has been reduced to US$4.7 million as the funds approved to undertake all district development projects across the country.
"Chairman and presiding and members of this body, I'd like to tell you that as I speak to you now, we have 4.7 million United States Dollars," he said.
He also noted that due to the many changes in the budget, specifically the initial amount in the national budget for LACE, he had planned to formally inform both Houses of the 55th Legislature about the amount received and how it is to be redistributed between the Houses.
Meanwhile, Mr. Sele has been kept under oath until his reappearance on Tuesday to continue the hearing. This was announced by the presiding on grounds that many of the senators were dissatisfied with his presentation and proceeding at LACE.
"I want to tell you today, with the dissatisfaction of all the senators and also as vice chairman on the Committee on Ways, Means and Finance and Chairman on the Sub-committee on Expenditure, when you're coming on Tuesday, you should bring to us and submit to us individually 30 copies of your financial expenditure," Senator Duncan stressed.
He further requested Mr. Sele to submit the bid submission document and the bid evaluation report, among others.
