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Joint PAC chair Representative Gahr has suggested that if President Boakai wants to act on any official, it shouldn’t be based on an audit report that is still before the Joint PAC.
By Bridgett Milton
Monrovia, August 6, 2024: The Joint Public Accounts Audit and Expenditure Committee (PAC) at the Legislature has called on President Joseph Nyuma Boakai to stop suspending officials based on audit reports.
The Joint Committee’s chairman, Margibi County District #5 Representative Clarence H. Gahr, said on Monday, August 5, 2024, that President Boakai should not act on audit reports until the committee conducts legislative hearings.
After hearings were conducted, he noted that the committee would subsequently send its report to President Boakai for action.
At the opening of the Public Account Audit (PAC) and Expenditure hearing on Monday at the Legislature, Rep. Gahr said the Auditor General’s report is currently before the Legislature for hearing.
After the hearing and the validation of the report, it is sent to the President before actions are taken.
If President Boakai wants to act on any government official, Representative Gahr suggested that his action shouldn’t be based on an audit report currently before the Joint Public Account Committee.
He argued that Article 3 of the Liberian Constitution says no person holding office in one of these branches shall hold office in or exercise any of the powers assigned to either of the other two branches except as otherwise provided in the Constitution.
Meanwhile, the Joint Committee Chairman has cautioned former public officials who are refusing to honor invitations for legislative hearings to desist from such acts.
He threatened that the committee would have no choice but to give the Liberia Anti-Corruption Commission (LACC) the go-ahead to prosecute alleged corruption cases if the former officials continued to decline to appear for hearings.
