Africa-Press – Liberia. The House of Representatives in 2021 disagreed with the Senate’s action to ratify the Bio CHICO concession deal against argument by the House of Representatives that all revenue bills should begin with the House of Representatives and the Senate’s only function is to review and concur.
The Liberian Senate in November 2021 ratified the agreement and submitted same for concurrence by the House of Representatives but the House of Representatives refused to accept and concur with the Senate because they said the Senate acted outside of their constitutional jurisdiction.
They argued that just as the Constitution gives the Senate the exclusive power to confirm nominees of the executive branch of government, the power to act on revenue bills should begin with them (House of Representatives) and not the other way around.
Upon receipt of the Senate engrossed bill, the House instead refused to concur on grounds that the Bio Chico agreement is a revenue bill which should originate from the House of Representatives in keeping with Article 34d (i) of the 1986 Constitution.
Article 34 d (i) states: “all revenue bills, whether subsidies, charges, imposts, duties or taxes, and other financial bills shall originate in the House of Representatives, but the Senate may propose or concur with amendments as other bills”.
The Court in its ruling noted that the bill is a financial bill, contrary to the contestation by the House that it is a revenue bill and that the Bill can originate from any of the Houses.
Also, the Court in its ruling stated that the ratification of BIO Chico Agreement by the petitioner(Senate) and its submission to the respondent (House of Representatives) by the largest concurrence has previously and customarily be done in other investment, something the High Court said in its ruling does not violate article 34d (i) of the Constitution.
Following the reading of the Court’s ruling, the President Pro-Tempore of the Senate, Albert T. Chie constituted a “conference Committee” to liaise with House Representatives to reconcile the differences for submission to the Executive.
The committee members include, Senators Varney Sherman, Jim Tornonlah, Marshall Dennis, Prince K. Moye, Francis S. Paye, Abraham Darius Dillion and Morris Saytumah.
Montserrado County Senator Abraham Darius Dillion in a motion called on Plenary to note the decision and at the same time thanked the Judiciary Committee along with the legal team led by Senator Cllr. Varney Sherman for ably representing the Liberian Senate at the Supreme Court of Liberia regarding said matter.
It can be recalled that on August 5, 2021, the Executive Branch of Government through the President of Liberia entered an agreement with executives of Bio Chico Resource Liberia Limited, a cooperation organized and existing under the laws of HONG KONG to explore, produce and export iron ore in Gbapolu County, Liberia.
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