It has been alleged that US$750,000 was made available through some government agencies to fund anti-lawmakers’ plot to remove Speaker Koffa.
By Bridgett Milton
Monrovia, November 6, 2024: Drama unfolded at Capitol on Tuesday, November 5, when a planned pro-koffa protest failed to make an impact after organizers pulled out amidst confrontations from anti-Koffa lawmakers’ employees.
As if that was not enough, the group of lawmakers seeking to dethrone House Speaker Fonati Koffa summoned three government agencies that were reported to be the alleged sources of their bribes.
The members of the House of Representatives, under the banner “Majority Bloc,” have summoned Mo Ali, the Managing Director of the Liberia Water and Sewer Corporation (LWSC), Sirleaf Tyler, the Minister of Transport, and Francis Nyumalin, the Minister of Internal Affairs.
The officials have been ordered to appear before the majority bloc on Tuesday, November 12, 2024.
Their appearance before the lawmakers is to clarify a statement by the Liberia Anti-Corruption Commission (LACC) that they were the sources of US$750,000 made available to lawmakers to fund Speaker Koffa’s removal plot.
The LACC is reported to have indicated that the alleged funding was made available through the Ministry of Transport and LWSC accounts.
Internal Affairs Minister Francis Nyumalin is expected to address the status of implementing the Local Government Law.
LWSC boss Mr. Mo Ali and Transport Minister Mr. Sirleaf Tyler will face questions regarding an ongoing LACC investigation tied to the alleged bribery in the removal of the Speaker.
According to a communication from Rep. Johnson Williams of River Gee County Electoral District #3, the allegation against them is very strong and must be addressed.
Rep. Johnson stressed the importance of the House of Representatives taking the matter very seriously.
He suggested that it is a public notice and on the public record that the House of Representatives has been accused of taking money from those institutions.
‘’It is important for them to come and clear our part to save us from the public outcry,’’ said Rep. Williams.
At the same time, the House of Representatives majority bloc has mandated its Secretariat to formally inform the Senate, Executive, and Judicial branches not to do business with Speaker Fonati Koffa and his supporters.
Grand Gedeh County Electoral District #1 Representative Jeremiah Sokan said they are the majority bloc of the House of Representatives and that the government should prioritize engagement with them.
To oust Speaker Koffa, the majority Bloc needs 49 lawmakers, but it is yet to obtain this number.
Koffa controls the minority bloc and needs 37 Representatives to conduct legislative sessions.
While the majority Bloc continues to struggle to get the required number, it has called on those supporting Koffa’s leadership to join the anti-Koffa bloc to oust him.
The majority Bloc claims that if the Koffa bloc does not join them in the next legislative session, it will face consequences under House Rule 21.
Meanwhile, the Majority Bloc is expected to investigate six members of the Koffa bloc for disrupting House proceedings on October 22, 2024.
Those Representatives include Rep. Frank Saah Foko, Rep. Marvin Cole, Rep. Luther Collins, Rep. Edward Flomo, Rep. Abu Kamara, and Rep. Zinnah Norman.
The majority bloc has ordered them to appear before a committee of the whole to explain their action.
