MONROVIA – The Joint Public Accounts and Audits Committee of the 55th Legislature has threatened to request the Liberia Anti-Corruption Commission (LACC) to arrest and prosecute former and current government officials who fail to appear before the committee for hearings on audits conducted during their time in office.
Report by Blamo N. Toe and Augustine Saah
Representative Clarence Gahr, the committee chair, made the pronouncement during ongoing hearings with officials of the National Transit Authority (NTA).
Gahr’s warning followed the absence of former NTA Managing Directors Harbie McCauley and Tarnue Jeke, who did not show up despite being officially summoned. Their non-appearance, along with that of former and current top officials of the National Road Fund (NRF), led to a premature suspension of the hearings to provide them with another opportunity to comply.
Expressing disappointment, Representative Gahr emphasized that the committee’s patience is wearing thin, and it will have no choice but to involve the LACC in arresting and prosecuting those who avoid clearing their names on corruption allegations. He described their actions as disrespectful and a significant hindrance to the fight against corruption in national governance.
Senator Amara Konneh, the committee co-chair, reiterated that non-compliance would compel the committee to formally communicate with the Executive Branch to proceed with arrests and prosecutions. He noted that the audit reports in question were completed during the Coalition for Democratic Change (CDC) regime and not under the current Unity Party government.
Meanwhile, the chairman of the committee has urged President Boakai to refrain from suspending government officials indicted by audit reports until the committee holds hearings on the audit reports as required by law.
He called for respect for Article 3 of the 1986 Constitution, which emphasizes coordination among the three branches of government, and insisted that suspensions should be based on the findings from the committee’s hearings.
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