MONROVIA — The Civil Service Agency (CSA) has placed the responsibility for the delay in salary payments for the House of Representatives’ Central Administration employees squarely on Representative J. Marvin Cole.
By Jeremiah Mulbah, Contributor
Addressing the Ministry of Information, Cultural Affairs, and Tourism’s regular press briefing on Tuesday, CSA Director-General Josiah Joekai disclosed that the issue arose after Representative Josiah Marvin Cole, who chairs the House’s Rules, Order, and Administration Committee, instructed Guaranty Trust Bank not to disburse the July 2024 salaries for the House’s Central Administration employees.
“This directive was issued despite prior approval of these salaries by the CSA and the Ministry of Finance and Development Planning (MFDP), which had already transferred the necessary funds,” Joekai added.
He criticized Representative Cole’s actions as a violation of Chapter 5, Section 2.1 of the Standing Orders of the Civil Service, which states, “The payment of salaries and wages throughout the Civil Service shall be determined by the Civil Service Agency and disbursed by the Ministry of Finance.”
The CSA Director-General emphasized that Representative Cole’s directive directly contravened this order, leading to the delay in salary processing.
Recently, there have been allegations of illegal payroll practices within the House of Representatives. However, the House has rejected these allegations, with lawmakers countering CSA Director-General Joekai’s revelations.
In an August 6, 2024, press conference held at the legislature, Representative J. Marvin Cole attributed the payroll problems to technical issues rather than illegal practices. The lawmaker criticized the CSA boss for allegedly making unfounded and erroneous public accusations against the House of Representatives. The Bong County lawmaker firmly denied the CSA’s claims and insisted that the issues were not related to any wrongdoing.
On August 8, 2024, the Civil Service Agency (CSA) initiated a comprehensive headcount of staff assigned to the House of Representatives’ Central Administrative Office. This exercise is part of the CSA’s ongoing nationwide employee physical verification and headcount exercise of all employees within the 103 government spending entities, a program launched and mandated by His Excellency President Joseph Nyuma Boakai, Sr., on July 4, 2024.
The CSA, while expressing regret over the situation, clarified that they and the Ministry of Finance and Development Planning should not be held accountable for the delay, attributing it solely to Rep. Cole’s directive. Joekai also highlighted that they have successfully obtained approval from the House leadership for a physical verification of all Central Administration employees, aiming to enhance payroll accuracy and transparency.
Discussion about this post