Published: January 22, 2025
MONROVIA — The Government of Liberia has suffered an estimated annual loss of US$1.5 million due to payroll discrepancies within the House of Representatives, according to the Civil Services Agency (CSA).
In a letter presented during the House’s session on Tuesday, January 21, CSA Director General Josiah Joekai accused the Legislature of flouting the National Remuneration Standardization Act of 2019. The Act was designed to establish a unified payroll system aimed at curbing public sector inefficiencies and ensuring adherence to the Liberia Revenue Code. However, irregularities in the House’s payroll system have undermined these objectives.
The CSA’s analysis revealed duplications of staff positions on both the central and supplementary payrolls. This practice contravenes Part II, Section 2 of the 2019 Act, which mandates the integration and standardization of payrolls to enhance efficiency and transparency. Among the individuals flagged in the report are Chambell Bridgs from Central Administration and Augustine Nimely from the Communication Department, both of whom appeared on multiple payrolls.
“This analysis shows that the Government of Liberia is losing more than US$1.5 million annually due to these discrepancies,” Joekai disclosed. The report indicated that certain staff members were receiving multiple salaries for identical or similar positions, exacerbating the financial drain.
The CSA’s findings have sparked significant concern among lawmakers. The agency has urged the Legislature to act swiftly to address the payroll anomalies and to uphold the provisions of the 2019 Act. Compliance with the law, the CSA argued, is vital to optimizing public resource allocation and advancing the government’s fight against poverty and inequality under national development frameworks such as the AAID and CDAS.
The reading of the CSA’s letter during the session ignited heated debates among lawmakers. Deputy Speaker Thomas Fallah intervened to restore order amid calls from some legislators for the names of implicated individuals to be publicly disclosed. Others advocated for a more discreet approach to resolving the issue.
To address the discrepancies, the CSA has proposed several measures, including conducting comprehensive payroll audits, eliminating duplicate entries, and enforcing strict compliance with the National Remuneration Standardization Act. These actions, the agency asserted, are critical to reducing waste, bolstering domestic resource mobilization, and fostering economic growth.
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