Liberia: House Divided over Decision to Probe Boakai’s US$365K Inaugural Funds

The House of Representatives finds itself deeply divided over the investigation of the US$365,000 inaugural funds provided by President Joseph N. Boakai, Sr., for his inauguration as the 26th President of the Republic of Liberia.

These funds allegedly included US$5,000 given to each of the 73 Electoral Districts to decentralize the celebration. The division within the House stems from differing opinions on the source of the money and whether it should be subject to investigation.

One complainant, Lofa County District #3 Representative Momo Siafa Kpoto, has requested an investigation into the origin of the funds, questioning whether they came from the government’s coffers, the Unity Party, or the President’s accounts.

Another complainant, Montserrado County District #4 Representative Michael Thomas, has urged his colleagues to establish checks and balances to prevent corruption and address the circulation of misleading information.

Rep. Thomas has expressed concern about the alleged dishonesty during the inaugural program, highlighting flaws in the protocol arrangements, seating capacity, and quality of the PA system. He called for an investigation into the distribution of the US$5,000 and a report on the expenditure of the over US$600,000 allocated for the event.

“Honorable Speaker, I wish to bring to your attention the circulation of misleading information in the public glance associating members of this Honorable August body to the receipt and expenditure of the amount of US$5,000 intended to prepare each district to attend the January 22nd, 2024 inaugural program of His Excellency President Joseph Nyumah Boakai and Vice President Jeremiah K. Koung,” Rep. Thomas said. “I wish to seek plenary’s indulgence to request the appearance of the leadership of the National Transitional Team on inauguration to provide clarity on the $5,000 that was said to be distributed to the seventy-three (73) Electoral Districts in Liberia and to provide further expenditure report of the $600,000 that was provided for the program.”

Rep. Yekeh Kolubah of Montserrado County District #10 also added his voice calling for the investigation of the source of the US$365,000.

Other representatives have different perspectives. Reps. Sekou Kanneh of Montserrado County District #2 and Musa Bility of Nimba County District #7 argued that the funds distributed to the districts are under the prerogative of the ruling party, not government funds. They believe that there is no need for an investigation. Rep. Richard Koon also asserted that the source should not be investigated since it is the personal money of the Unity Party’s standard bearer.

However, Rep. Priscilla Cooper of Montserrado County District #5, a Unity Party member, disagrees with her colleagues. She believes that an investigation is necessary to determine the whereabouts of the US$1,000 discrepancy between the amounts received by different districts.

“Some districts received US$4,000 while others received US$5,000. We want to know where the US$1,000 went, so it needs an investigation,” Rep. Cooper said.

In response to the division within the House, Speaker J. Fonati Koffa has seized the motion and stated that the House’s leadership will seek clarity from relevant authorities before deciding how to proceed.