-- President legitimizes instrument amid concerns of illegality fueled by Lower House leadership impasse
President Joseph Nyuma Boakai has signed into law, the controversial National Budget for Fiscal Year 2025, which totals over US$880M, despite what many believe to be dark clouds hanging over the budget passage procedures occasioned by an intense leadership impasse at the House of Representatives.
The controversial and hasty manner in which members of the House of Representatives and the Senate passed the budget late last month left many Liberians scratching their heads--with many of the view that due diligence was not accorded the budget passage procedure.
And with President Boakai acting upon the budget as an official endorsement, critics believe that he has legitimized a process that they believe has been illegally done. A team of senior lawyers, led by former Associate Justice Kabinah Jar'neh had threatened to take legal actions against the President and the Executive were he to affix his signature on the 2025 budget.
Time for Action Is Here
President Boakai, in a brief remark upon signing the budget, expressed satisfaction "with the timely completion of the budget process and underscored the urgent need for its effective implementation.
"The time for action is here. This budget is not just numbers on paper; it represents our commitment to addressing the needs of our people and achieving national development goals," the President stated.
The National Legislature concluded its deliberations on the Budget on December 20, 2024, when the Senate concurred with the House of Representatives' proposed financial instrument.
The signing ceremony took place at the President's Rehab Office in Paynesville City, marking what the Executive Mansion termed as a significant milestone in the governance and economic development of the country.
Lawsuit Hangs Over Boakai
Now signed into law, the Budget serves as the legal and operational framework for the Government of Liberia's programs and activities in the coming fiscal year--but that will not be as straightforward as one would think if threat from some legal stakeholders is anything to go by.
Former Associate Justice Ja'neh and others have threatened to initiate legal proceedings against the President as a way of challenging the contentious Fiscal Year 2025 budget. While the President cannot sue or be sued while serving, his government can be sued.
Ja'neh told the popular Spoon Talk that he has enlisted the services of senior lawyers to pursue legal action in response to concerns about the budget approval process. He has indicated that if President Boakai signs the budget, perceived to have been passed under questionable methods, they will escalate the issue to the Supreme Court.
Ja'neh's intention is to seek clarity from the Court on whether the budget's passage complied with Liberia's legal requirements. He mentioned a legal strategy that involves initiating proceedings in lower courts before potentially reaching the Supreme Court, depending on the initial outcomes. Ja'neh underscored the importance of establishing the correct procedural framework for national budget approval through legal recourse.
The Senate's decision to approve the Fiscal Year 2025 National Budget in concurrence with the Majority bloc of the House of Representatives prompted the threat from Ja'neh and others. The Senate's decision was made on Friday, December 20, following a motion by Grand Kru County Senator Numene Bartekwa, with 19 out of 30 senators voting in favor.
However, the budget approval process has stirred controversy, particularly regarding the House of Representatives' initial vote. The Majority bloc passed the budget during an emergency session at the Monrovia City Hall, circumventing standard procedures.
The House members have been holding special sessions at the City Hall following a fire incident that ravaged the Joint Chamber of the Legislature, where they had been meeting throughout political turmoil with the minority bloc.
After the budget's passage, House Speaker J. Fonati Koffa publicly criticized the Majority bloc's actions, terming the budget approval as "ultra vires" in a post on his official Facebook page dated December 21, 2024.
In November, the majority bloc voted to dismiss Speaker Jonathan Fonati Koffa, who has contested his removal as unlawful. The majority bloc then elected Montserrado County Representative Richard Nagbe Koon as the new House Speaker. Despite Supreme Court intervention, the political unrest remained unresolved.
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A violent protest erupted on Capitol Hill the previous Tuesday following Koffa's removal, further exacerbated by a fire that consumed the chamber the next day.
The Executive Mansion has stated that the FY 2025 National Budget reflects the Administration's priorities of fostering economic growth, improving service delivery, enhancing social infrastructure, and creating opportunities for all Liberians.
The signing ceremony was attended by key government officials, including the Vice President Jeremiah Kpan Koung, and the Deputy Minister for Administration at the Ministry of Finance and Development Planning, Bill McGill Jones.
"As the Government moves into the implementation phase, the President called on all stakeholders to work collaboratively to ensure that the allocated resources translate into tangible outcomes for the benefit of the Liberian people," the Mansion said.
