Suspended members of the House of Representatives resisting the illegal removal of embattled Speaker Fonati Koffa filed a petition before the Supreme Court here, praying for restoration of their salaries and benefits being withheld by the executive.
By: Emmanuel Wise Jipoh
Monrovia, Liberia, February 28, 2025—Seven suspended members of the House of Representatives loyal to embattled Speaker J. Fonati Koffa have taken the Government of Liberia to court over unpaid salaries and unlawful treatment.
The lawmakers include Montserrado County District# 9 Representative Frank Saah Foko, Representatives Edward Papie Flomo of Montserrado County District #13, Abu Bana Kamara (District 15), and J. Marvin Cole of Bong County (District#3). Others are Eugene Kollie of Bong County (District#5), Alex Noah of Sinoe County (District #3), and Zinnah Norman of Gbarpolu County (District #1).
They have taken the government to the Supreme Court for withholding their salaries.
The current “leadership of the House”, headed by self-declared “Regime Speaker” Rep. Richard N. Koon, suspended the lawmakers dubbed the minority bloc for refusing to report for sessions and asked the executive to withhold their salaries.
But the aggrieved lawmakers say they are being unfairly punished, thus seeking redress before the Supreme Court.
“Our salaries have been held for no reason, and this is unfair in keeping with the law; this is why we have come to the court”, one of the aggrieved Representatives explained.
The lawmakers complained that the Ministry of Finance and the Comptroller of the House of Representatives were illegally withholding their salaries and benefits.
They claim this decision was not based on any legal ruling but was influenced politically by the “Majority Bloc,” a group of lawmakers who illegally removed Speaker J. Fonati Koffa.
They argue that they were lawfully elected on October 10, 2023, and officially sworn in office on January 15, 2024, so by law, they should receive their full compensation as outlined in the national budget.
But instead, their paychecks have stopped coming.
Feeling cheated, they turned to the Supreme Court, filing a petition for a writ of mandamus, asking the court to force the Ministry of Finance to release their salaries.
The Minority lawmakers are insisting that the Minister of Finance and the Comptroller of the Legislature have a clear duty to process payments for all lawmakers, regardless of political differences.
On record, the Supreme Court of Liberia had termed the actions taken by the Majority bloc in removing embattled Speaker Koffa as “ultra vires,” mandating it return to status quo ante and proceed within the confines of the law, which the majority members have ignored.
With the backing of the executive under the watch of President Joseph Boakai, the Majority continues its illegal operation, including forcibly bursting into the offices of Speaker Koffa and throwing his belongings outside without a current warrant and suspending and withholding their colleagues, which the Minority bloc is contesting before the High Court. Editing by Jonathan Browne
