Monrovia – Liberia is currently faced with the inability to raise its 2016/2017 National Budget of over US$600 million – thanks to several unscrupulous lump sum budgetary allotments to non-existent institutions.
Report by Lennart Dodoo – [email protected]
In some cases, institutions owned by ‘greedy’ officials of government, who are bent on siphoning public funds into their pockets at the detriment of the suffering masses, are looting the budget discreetly.
Until the ascendency of Amara Konneh as Finance Minister in 2011, Liberians were unfamiliar with the term ‘budget shortfall’, but there have been three consecutive budget shortfalls since he became the country’s exchequer while President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf has said her government might not be able to raise over US$40 million of the US$623 million for Fiscal year 2016-17.
Preliminary findings from an ongoing investigation being conducted by FrontPageAfrica has so far established that there are several non-existent institutions placed in the budget to receive subsidies from government while there are other existing ones belonging to officials of government.
The first phase of FrontPage Africa’s probe of the Budget found out that US$40,000 was allotted to a certain Jallah Lone Memorial High School in FY 2015-16 and US$50,000 allotted to Fred Davis Clinic in Gbarpolu.
However, FrontPage Africa preliminary investigation established that these institutions do not exist.
Cross checking the facts, FrontPage Africa contacted the President Pro-Tempore of the Liberian Senate, Senator Armah Zolu Jallah, who hails from Gbarpolu County and he informed this paper that he was not aware of any Jallah Lone Memorial High School named after his deceased father and a Fred Davis Clinic.
However, no allotment was made to the ghost school in the FY 2016-17 National Budget.
“I know of Chief Jallah Lone to be technical and vocational school that will encompass both the academic school and technical school.
Don’t know of Fred Davies Clinic in Gbarpolu,” Sen. Jallah informed this paper via a text message.
However, documents in the possession of the FrontPageAfrica show that disbursements were made to Jallah Lone Memorial High School during FY2015-2016.
The first payment of US$8,000.00 was paid on October 8, 2015 under approved voucher number 56704.
The check issued was numbered 3267. A second installment of US$11,999 was paid on the same date with approved voucher numbered 56706 with check number 756.
Third installment was made under approved voucher number 74437 on May 17, 2016; the check issued was numbered 3470 making a total overall payment of US$39,999 during the Fiscal Year.
Credible sources within the Finance Ministry informed FrontPageAfrica that the checks were and signed for received by one Isaac Varmah who represents himself as the administrator of the school. FrontPageAfrica has not been able to independently verify this information.
Though investigation is still ongoing, FrontPageAfrica has reliably learnt that there are so many non-existent institutions listed in the budget mainly under the health and education sectors where monies directed to these unknown and unidentified institutions go in the pockets of a group of cohorts.
Gbarpolu County already has massive infrastructure challenges, and infighting amongst the members of the county legislative caucus over the years has made it difficult to foster development in the county.
As these details unfold and the economic situation of the country continues to deteriorate, considering that the prices of Liberia’s main exports have dropped, it is almost certain that achieving this fiscal target is impossible.
Many economists and government’s critics have slammed government for spending most of its budget on recurrent expenditure, but with corruption taking center stage and eating up the fabric of public financial management law fading, or being gravely misused by top government officials.