Liberia: House Received Over US$2M to Pass Recast Budget?

When the House speedily passed the  US$806.5 million recast budget, there were lots of concerns in the public.

Firstly, it was about how the budget was passed, particularly in two hours without any scrutiny. Then the issue of alleged quid-pro-quo, which many in the public suspected to be behind the speedy passage of the budget bill.

But while the latter had been denied by the Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives, J. Fonati Koffa, his colleague, Acaraous Moses Gray has revealed that the bank account of each of the 73 members of the House was credited with US$30k from the Ministry of Finance and Development Planning for “legislative engagements and public accessibility.” 

The money, the Daily Observer has gathered, was made available a few weeks before the submission of the recast budget by President George Weah.  Sources at the legislature have also confirmed that nearly half of the members of the House have received the money Gray spoke about — with some having already received deposit alerts this week.

The money given to the 73 members of the House of Representatives amounted to US$2.19 million, out of a total of US$3.6 million, which was budgeted for the fiscal year 2002 for “legislative engagements and public accessibility.” 

“The bank gave us the money in the form of a loan because the government has not yet provided the money. Later on, the government, through the Finance Ministry, will settle the bank,” Gray told OK on June 13.

“Of the US$30,000, each lawmaker received US$26,000 from the bank as the bank held US$4,000 on grounds that the government is yet to pay. We did not receive the US$30,000 in total, but rather we received US$26,000 as a loan from the bank as the government will pay back.”

The revelation by Montserrado County District #8 Representative Gray follows a set of leaked messages from the House WhatsApp chat room which, among other things, revealed discussion about lawmakers’ benefits for passage of the recast budget — suggesting a quid pro quo deal.

The benefits issue was raised by Rep. Solomon George of Montserrado County District #7 and was never debunked by anyone of his colleagues including the Deputy Speaker, who is now denying such.

“What is our benefit after passing the recast budget? [As for me] I want my benefit,” George said in the chatroom. 

In response, Rep. Vincent Willie of Grand Bassa County District #4 asked whether there was any negotiation [with the executive] before the speedy (4G) passage of the budget. However, Willie did not receive a response regarding his inquiry.

Then came in Deputy Speaker Koffa, while responding to a notice of the House leadership meeting. In his response, he accused the House Finance committee of making them look ugly to the public due to the way the committee engaged the senate.

“We will always look stupid to the public because of the way our finance committee disrespectfully presents us to the senate. “

But Koffa, who did not respond to George in the chat, on June 12 denied that the conversation was in any way about collecting a bribe for voting to pass the recast budget.

“You know we abide by the rule of law. This is our democracy.  Our intention was noble. There was no quid pro quo for the passage of the recast budget. I am not disturbed by anyone leaking our messages,” the Deputy Speaker said. 

“Once there are four people, you can imagine that in any chat room, it will get out. So I think we should all be cautious of the statements we make, but gently, you know they said all work without play makes jack a dull boy.”

The budget

The recast budget for the fiscal year 2022, was passed on June 7, inclusive of grants as submitted by President George Weah. It is worth US$806.5 million, reflecting a net upward adjustment of US$20 million or 2.9 percent over the originally approved budget of US$785.5 million for the same year. 

Weah, in a letter to the House, said that the extra fiscal space was yielded through internal reprioritization of existing programs, identifying additional resources, as well as a World Bank Loan of US$15 million and that the remaining US$5 million would come from the mining sector.

However, a massive chunk of the US$806.5 million budget goes to recurrent expenditure — salary arrears, goods, and services, servicing public debts — leaving limited capital investment towards infrastructures and other assets that are crucial for rapid economic growth and development. 

The budget, according to Weah, has an upward adjustment of US$20 million that will be added to a reappropriation amount of US$21,375,000, to sum up the total available of US$41.3 million. Recurrent expenditure, as per the draft recast budget, is estimated at US$648.5 million, while expenditure for the public sector or capital investment, is US$158 million. 

Meanwhile, Rep. Yekeh Kolubah of Montserrado County District #10 has confirmed that he received US$26,000, but said he did not know why such money was dished out to him.

“They did not allow us to debate the budget. They passed it, using a high-speed or 4G network. I am disappointed but nothing can be done because we in the opposition have refused to hold the feet of this government to the ground.”

Kolubah said he hopes there is even up to US$100,000 given to each lawmaker, “[If] they give it to me, I will take it. “

“I am against it and I have long been fighting but the other people do not want us to keep the fight and reject the unnecessary amounts of money. I alone cannot do anything about this,” he said on OK FM yesterday morning.

Earlier, Rep. Gray had noted that he could not say with certainty whether or not Senators have taken their share of the money but argued that it is within the budget and that the Senators concurred with the House on the amount, thereby allowing it to remain in the final recast budget handbill.

But he boasted that the Weah-led government is fully in control of decisions at the legislature on grounds that the opposition lawmakers, who are in the “majority”, have become regime collaborators, something that is to the advantage of the President who is seeking reelection in 2023.