MONROVIA – The Liberian Investigator has gathered that the Minister of Finance and Development Planning, Boima Kamara, has been asked by President Joseph Boakai to resign. He is reportedly contemplating resigning this week after several pleas to the President for reconsideration fell flat.
Report by Lennart Dodoo, [email protected]
Executive Mansion sources informed The Liberian Investigator that the President’s request stems from the fact that Minister Kamara’s health has kept him out of office since he was commissioned. However, Kamara pleaded with the President to allow him to stay on the job to lead Liberia into the ongoing IMF’s extended credit facility negotiations.
Despite his plea, the President, according to our source, seems determined to have Kamara resign and has therefore cut off communication with him and denied him access to the Office of the Presidency. According to our source, Minister Kamara cut his medical trip in Ghana short to return to the country after he was hinted that the President was on the verge of naming a new Finance Minister.
Kamara was also the last Finance Minister of Ellen Johnson Sirleaf’s regime.
Other sources hinted that Boima had been opposed to the proposed loan deal for 285 pieces of heavy-duty trucks and earth-moving equipment that have begun arriving in the country.
The Finance Minister recently came under pressure from the House of Representatives, which held him in contempt after multiple failures to honor a citation to answer questions about why the Ministry was not releasing budgetary allotments for the House activities and benefits of members of the House.
However, Minister Kamara appeared before the House on Tuesday, July 2, 2024, and issued an apology for his repeated absences. This apology led to the House dropping all contempt charges against him. Minister Kamara explained that his non-appearance was due to health issues requiring treatment in Ghana and the scheduling of an IMF delegation visit. He expressed deep regret for any perceived disrespect, emphasizing his respect for the rule of law and the House of Representatives. “I stand here in deep regret. In no way would I, of all people, disrespect the Honorable House of Representatives, and I apologize for my actions and my non-appearance,” Kamara stated.
Meanwhile, The Liberian Investigator gathered that the President is contemplating between former Finance Minister Augustine K. Ngafuan (August 2008 – February 2012) and former Auditor General, John Morlu (April 2007 – April 2011) as Boima’s replacement.
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