Minister Kamara said his failure to appear before the House at the prescribed time was due to his medication in Ghana and the visit to Liberia by an IMF delegation.
By Bridgett Milton
Monrovia, July 3, 2024: Members of the House of Representatives have dropped all charges against Mr. Boima Kamara, the Minister of Finances and Development Planning (MFDP).
Mr. Kamara was held under contempt charges for repeatedly refusing to appear before the House of Representatives after three separate citations.
The House of Representatives called the contempt hearing against Mr. Kamara because he failed to appear when he and other institutional heads were invited to provide financial updates on the government’s consolidated accounts.
The House also ordered the officials to provide updates on bank balances and validate reports on revenue collection from the Liberia Revenue Authority (LRA).
He had been invited along with officials from the LRA, Internal Affairs, and Liberia Petroleum Refining Company.
During the regular session on Thursday, June 27, 2024, the House of Representatives said Minister Kamara should be jailed or be fined for the contempt charge.
The punishment for legislative contempt here includes a fine of up to $5,000 or imprisonment for up to one month, and decisions from legislative contempt cases are not subject to appeal.
Minister Kamara said he was unable to appear before the House of Representatives due to the presence of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) delegation in Liberia.
Other parties did appear before the House, but the House deemed Minister Kamara’s failure to appear as contemptuous, leading to additional citations for his appearance which did not materialize last week.
On Tuesday, July 2, 2024, Minister Kamara finally appeared and told lawmakers that he had always respected the rule of law and his colleagues in all his services to the nation.
He also informed lawmakers that the issue of his health has been in the press for some time now, and two weeks ago, he had to go to Ghana for treatment.
Kamara noted that it made him not appear before the House of Representatives when he was called.
‘’I stand here in deep regret. In no way I, of all persons, will disrespect the Honorable House of Representatives, and I apologize for my actions …,” he said.
While he was in Ghana undergoing treatment, Minister Kamara said he received a citation from the House of Representatives for appearing.
At the same time, he said the IMF mission was also scheduled and he had to cut his medical trip short.
He said attending the IMF meeting did not put the IMF before the lawmakers, but he was asking them to give him time as required by his doctor for his medication.
