J. BURGESS CARTER
Africa-Press – Liberia. Just when the economically unbalanced population is trying to put pieces together for survival Just weeks ahead of highly anticipated presidential and general elections, another money drama has surfaced in the Chambers of the Liberian Senate, reportedly to the tune of US$20,000.
It all came to the surface after days of rumors that Senators had received US$29,000 each from the Executive as encouragement to extend their stay for at least a week, mainly to pass the recast budget.
That bargaining seemed to have been progressing well, until Montserrado County Senator Abraham Darius Dillon started to put up inquiries and demands about documents such as budget performance and payment lists to local debtors.
But before clarification could come through, Lofa County Senator Joseph Jallah, to the amazement and surprise of his colleagues and the press, told Dillon to stop putting up bottlenecks after he (Dillon) had received his US$20,000.
For the first time in many years, the majority of senators present angrily took Jallah to task by condemning his outburst and accompanying embarrassment, which he caused those who had received their US$20k.
The Lofa County Senator later apologized to Dillon as requested by Protemp Albert Tugbe Chie, but the damage was done, and the live feed on social media was out in the open.
Despite the controversy, the Senate plenary went ahead to concur with the House of Representatives in passing the recast budget in the amount of US$759.4 million, with a vote of 13 in favor and eight (8) led by Dillon voting against.
The Restated budget was recently passed by the House of Representatives and forwarded to the Senate for concurrence.
In the submission of the Restated budget to the legislature, President George Weah decried a significant blow to the Liberian economy, saying that the country would experience a budget shortfall of US$23 million.
The President’s admission comes as he requested the House of Representatives to recast the budget from its approved amount of US$782 million to US$759.4 million with a variance of US$23.5 million.
According to the lawmakers, the shortfall represents 3.5 percent of the total projected domestic revenue of US$672 million, which has been deemed a risk and untenable.
Meanwhile, President Weah said in his letter to the Legislature that the Government of Liberia will ensure that year-end spending is in line with available resources, adjustments in spending entities’ program allocations, balances have been made such that the risk is absorbed by all and sundry.
In a related development, and in accordance with the resolution to extend its stay, the Senate has confirmed several Presidential nominees affecting the Public Procurement Concession Commission (PPCC), Governance Commission, the Judiciary, the National Fisheries and Aquaculture Authority, as well as The Central Bank of Liberia, amongst others.
Those confirmed are: Bodger Scott Johnson, Chairman, Mardia P Jallah Co-chair, Martha F Korpu, Commissioner, Roosevelt A.K Woods Commissioner, Bigshop Matthew W. Kantan Commissioner, and Roberts Clarke, Commissioner, all of the PPCC.
At the Governance Commission, those confirmed as Commissioners of the Commission are, Stanley Kparkillern, and Atty. Joyce E. S. Tarpeh. Others are, William Varwha Boeh, Deputy Director General for Technical Services of the National Fisheries and Aquaculture Authority, Madam Doris Sheba Brown, member of the Board of Governors at the Central Bank of Liberia as well as Cllr. Musa S. Sidibey , Resident Judge for sexual offenses Court at the Eight Judicial Circuit in Nimba County; and Cllr. Pape Suah as Resident Circuit Court Judge of the Eight Circuit in Nimba County.
Source: Liberian Observer
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