Resignation-An Honorable Option to Quench a Raging Fire that Threatens the Stability and Viability of the State:

By John H.T. Stewart

Monrovia, October 22, 2024

What is all this ruckus and furore about allegations of bribery of Legislators that have suddenly taken over the national discourse as if this is something new in post conflict Liberia? To be sure bribery is a form of corruption and should be treated as such according to law.

But the situation has developed to a point where charges of bribery pale in comparison to that of the Speaker of the House of Representatives Jonathan Fonati Koffa who finds himself facing charges of corruption which, according to some legislators, constitute sufficient reasons to warrant his removal from office.

But the catch is, according to the Constitution, the Speaker who is elected by his peers by simple majority can be removed only by a two-thirds majority vote. On the other hand, the very Constitution provides that each House will conduct its own business. However, a quorum of a simple majority of the entire membership is required to conduct business.

Representatives calling for Speaker Koffa’s removal from office constitute a simple majority while those supporting the Speaker do not. The problem is both groups have been convening separately when they should in fact convene as a single body presided over by the Speaker and in case of incapacity the duty of presiding devolves upon the Deputy Speaker.

Those Representatives supporting Speaker Koffa have charged the opposition of using bribes to influence his ouster from the post and have called for a probe. They have even gone a step further by filing a complaint to the Liberia Anti-Corruption Commission (LACC) charging their colleagues with bribery. One Legislator has in fact displayed a stash of US dollars ($15,000) which he maintains is evidence that he was indeed offered a bribe, admitting that he accepted it to establish proof.

But what about claims of budget manipulation attributed to Speaker Koffa and charges that he expropriated over 3 million dollars to his personal benefit. Those opposing him also claim that Speaker Koffa’s law firm has succeeded the Varney Sherman owned Sherman and Sherman law firm as the legal representative of virtually all of the large corporations doing business here in Liberia.

They claim that Speaker Koffa has expropriated and accrued to his personal benefit more than US$4m dollars over the last two fiscal years.

It can be recalled that Speaker Koffa in his Asset declaration reported a net worth of more than US$2m which left mouths gaping.

According to some legislators, Speaker Koffa does not have any inherited wealth worth mentioning. They insist that Speaker Koffa’s criminal past renders him unfit to serve as head of the National Legislature of any self-respecting nation and people. 

They further maintain that although Speaker Koffa now boasts of immense wealth, he was released from prison virtually penniless after serving jail time in the US following conviction for fraud when he served as manager of Zebulon Town, a small municipality in the US state of North Carolina. In their view Speaker Koffa’s new found wealth was obtained not by dint of hard work but by sudden flight through corrupt means.

And they further maintain that propositions by some of his supporters that Koffa has since undergone redemption is false and hollow and far away from the truth given what they claim is his corrupt behavior since being elected as Speaker and has therefore lost the trust of the majority membership of the House of Representatives.  

As regards the charge of bribery, such is nothing new, according to political analysts, given the passage into law of 64 bogus Concession Agreements out of a total of 66 agreements, under the watch of President Sirleaf according to the Moore-Stephens Report.

One example which stands out in this regard is the passage of the Exxon-Mobil concession Agreement passed into law in 2014 while the 2006 New Petroleum Law was still in legal existence and effect.

That law was not repealed until 2016 two years after the illegal passage into law of the Exxon-Mobil Concession Agreement.

Another example is that of the awarding of a Concession Agreement to a scrap dealing company, Elenito for exploitation and mining rights to the Western Cluster. All those deals according to a former legislator(name withheld) were accomplished through bribery.

So the question now is just where are we the Liberian people in all of this? The inability of the House of Representatives to convene as a body has far reaching implications for national governance. Up to present the national budget has not yet been passed into law owing to claims and counter claims about fraud and budget manipulation with millions of dollars unaccounted for.

Which therefore takes precedence over the other is the question weighing heavily on the minds of the Liberian people. Whether it is the bribery of legislators intended to remove Speaker Koffa or the plethora of corruption charges including budget manipulation levied against him remains unsettled.

Quite clearly, the current impasse cannot continue indefinitely without rendering serious harm to the national body politic. These developments are indeed strongly reminiscent of the impeachment saga of then House Speaker Edwin Snowe in which charges of bribery were indeed free flowing. In the final analysis, Snowe was forced to bow out. 

According to political observers Liberia cannot and should not be held hostage to the whims and caprices of individuals seemingly locked in a vicious power struggle. Given the above, it would be in the best interest of both Speaker Koffa and the Liberian nation were he to relinquish his position as Speaker and by so doing quench a raging fire which threatens the viability and stability of the state. Do the Honorable thing Mr. Speaker, just resign and let the nation move on.

May God Bless Liberia and save the state.