Monrovia – Speaker Richard Nagbe still sits at the helm of power of the Legislature, undisputedly, the third-highest-ranked public official of the state; however, Bong County Electoral District 3 Representative, Josiah Marvin Cole, has dissected the volatile nature of that political power and the dependency of his reign heavily on the superior protection of the presidency.
By Emmanuel Weedee-Conway, [email protected]
Speaking at a news conference held at his Capitol Building office in Monrovia, Rep. Cole critiqued the current political dynamics and the speaker’s authority in steering the affairs of the House of Representatives and, by extension, the Legislature.
Rep. Cole, a fierce opposition lawmaker, points out that the speaker lacks genuine merit and only holds power due to the President’s direct influence and protection, something that he (Speaker Koon) doesn’t want to lose.
While reawakening a critical debate regarding the removal of former Montserrado County District 10 Representative, Yekeh Y. Kolubah, asserted that t the executive branch overstepped its bounds in that saga due to the lack of independence of the House, which is controlled by a speaker who is afraid of losing a power that he doesn’t merit.
Rep. Cole’s insinuation is that the presidency improperly influenced the legislative process that should have remained independent.
Cole laments that due to the controversial means through which he came to power on the shoulders of the Executive Branch, without this high-level executive support, the House Speaker would have no real standing or ability to control access to the administration.
By comparing the current situation to past leadership, he highlights how political dependency leaves officials vulnerable to removal if they ever show disrespect to their superiors – a narrative of fragile power that is entirely contingent upon the favor of the head of state.
“Now, as we speak, if the President says, ‘Expel Marvin Cole, whether I did wrong or not, they will start to find fault to expel me. Because you know why? He did not merit it; he was forced, driven into the speakerhip, and he’s there. So, if I were in a case like during George Weah’s administration and George influenced me being Speaker and said to me, ” Tomorrow morning, Prince Mulbah from Prime FM, make sure he does not enter here, you would not enter here. You would not enter because my protection comes from there. If I try to disrespect him, everything will be taken from me by the administration; nobody dares to question that because it’s how I became a speaker. That’s the case of our Speaker, Richard Nagbe Koon,” the Bong County lawmaker told the news conference.
Rep. Cole has also questioned the subsequent legal and constitutional challenges following the ousting of the Montserrado County lawmaker, an argument he centers on the doctrine of separation of powers being undermined.
In line with many critics and as he had always opined, the Bong County lawmaker maintains that due process rights under the Liberian Constitution were ignored during the proceedings.
There is a direct appeal to the Justice-In-Chambers, Yusif D. Kaba of the Supreme Court, Rep. Cole believes that the Executive power is still manipulating it from reaching the full bench.
He urged the Justice Kaba, whom he said has a long-standing record of integrity, to resist any political pressure and uphold the rule of law by addressing procedural failures and the service of a stay order, stressing that judicial integrity is essential to national stability and preventing the erosion of democratic institutions.
“I believe strongly that what the Justice-In-Chamber is faced with right now is political interference. And this is my call to the President of the Republic of Liberia, the other branches of government should not continue to be interfered with. I am saying this because it is evidenced that what Daniel Sando from the Ministry of Information said on this matter indicts and desecrate the sacred of the presidency of this Republic. Daniel Sano has a privilege to sit and associate with the presidency of this Republic was able to say in public and told the world that we and president removed Kolubah for a single reason and that was wrong.”
He noted that one of the key legal questions before the court is whether a stay order or precept issued to the House of Representatives was properly served, arguing that the outcome of that determination could affect the legitimacy of Kolubah’s removal.
“If the stay order was served, then it means Kolubah was not legally removed,” Rep. Cole furthered, adding that under such circumstances the former lawmaker’s benefits should continue until the matter is conclusively settled by the Supreme Court.
Commenting further on the controversy surrounding Rep. Kolubah’s removal and his comments regarding Liberia and the Guinean crisis, Rep. Cole said while he strongly disagreed with the former lawmaker’s statement, the process used in addressing the matter remains troubling.
“I am not supporting the statement made by Yakeh Kolubah. I think the territorial integrity of our country must be protected by leaders at all times, which Yekeh, in mine mind, failed to do, but the procedure is the problem.”
Rep. Cole argued that public comments suggesting executive influence over the legislature’s decision could create the impression that the removal process was politically driven rather than independent.
He intoned these perceptions threaten the constitutional principle of separation of powers and could weaken public confidence in democratic institutions such as the Legislature and the Judiciary.
Commenting on the recent non-guilty verdict in favor of former Finance and Development Planning Minister, Mr. Samuel D. Tweah, Jr., the County District 3 lawmaker intoned that this is not a good result for the opposition and that celebrating such is deceptive to smaller members of the opposition block.
Recently, Criminal Court ‘C’ handed down a mixed verdict in the landmark, widely publicized US$6.2 million case. In its verdicts, Samuel D. Tweah Jr. was acquitted on all charges, including criminal conspiracy, economic sabotage, criminal facilitation, theft of public funds, and money laundering. D. Moses P. Cooper was also fully acquitted of all charges brought against him.
However, former Acting Justice Minister Nyenati Tuan was found guilty of theft of public funds, criminal facilitation, and theft of property, though the jury returned a hung verdict on the money laundering charge and acquitted him of economic sabotage.
Former National Security Advisor Jefferson Karmoh was found guilty of criminal facilitation and criminal conspiracy, while he was acquitted of economic sabotage and theft of public funds. The jury, however, failed to decide on the theft of property charge against him.
Former FIA Director General Stanley S. Ford received hung verdicts on criminal conspiracy, criminal facilitation, theft of public funds, and money laundering, but was acquitted of economic sabotage.
The mixed verdict immediately sparked contrasting reactions from politicians, legal experts, ordinary citizens, and members of both the ruling establishment and the opposition.
Accordingly, while he acknowledged the acquittal of Mr. Tweah as a partial victory, he emphasized that others who were found guilty could face significant prison sentences.
The speaker urges the opposition community to move past celebration and instead show empathy for those convicted in the multi-million-dollar case.
He stated that while the rule of law has been exercised, the outcome remains bittersweet because several “principal actors” were found guilty, adding that true justice must account for the personal suffering of those penalized by the court’s decision.
