Senator Nathaniel McGill has reconsidered his decision to withdraw a prohibition he filed before the Supreme Court.
By Willie N. Tokpah, [email protected]
In a Facebook post Wednesday evening, the Margibi County senator announced that his lawyers will withdraw the Writ of Prohibition filed before the Chamber Justice of the Supreme Court.
“This withdrawal will allow the Liberia Anti-Corruption Commission (LACC) to continue its investigation without any hindrance. We remain fully prepared to vindicate ourselves at any time.
“It is important to note that supplementary payrolls are not a crime, and no Civil Service Agency (CSA) framework was violated during my tenure as minister.
The practice of supplementary payrolls is longstanding, having been in place long before my time, and continues to be a standard practice even within the current government. I will provide further details tomorrow during my press conference,” McGill said.
Senator McGill’s latest decision, he said, is in his commitment to ensuring transparency and accountability in public service and to hold both past and present government officials accountable for their stewardship.
Senator McGill noted that he has instructed his lawyers to withdraw the Writ of Prohibition filed before the Chamber Justice of the Supreme Court, to allow the Liberia Anti-Corruption Commission (LACC) to continue its investigation without any hindrance. “We remain fully prepared to vindicate ourselves at any time,” he said.
The decision comes just two days after lawyers representing the legal interest of Senator McGill filed a Writ of Prohibition at the Supreme Court to prevent an ongoing investigation into alleged corruption surrounding the supplementary payroll created during the regime of ex-president George Manneh Weah, during which time Senator McGill served as Minister of State for Presidential Affairs.
Senator McGill’s petition noted that he was only playing a role as one of President Weah’s office staff, and as such creation of a supplementary payroll should not be attributed to him.
He further stated that the President is the Chief Administrator of the country and that the creation of a payroll cannot be considered corruption, especially when it corresponds with the Ministry of State’s budgetary allocation and supports its payroll.
Senator McGill in that petition prayed the Supreme Court to issue the alternative writ of Prohibition inhibiting, restraining, and prohibiting the Liberia Anti-Corruption Commission (LACC) to refrain from all and any further actions regarding an ongoing investigation for a Supplementary Payroll.
The petition argued that Senator McGill was an appointee of government and served as the Minister of State for Presidential Affairs under the Revised Code 12, subsection 2.1 subtitled: “Minister of State for Presidential Affairs’ which expressly states: “The President by and with the advice and consent of the Senate shall appoint an official within the Office of the President, with the title of Minister of State for Presidential Affairs.
He shall be a member of the Cabinet and shall serve as the Principal Assistant to the President. He shall serve at the pleasure of the President, and shall perform the following duties.”
According to the petition, McGill was only playing an appointed role of coordinating all decisions of the Chief Executive, as the President shall direct, and the decision to create a supplementary payroll was a decision from the President.
The petitioning said that McGill’s action at the time was in line with the government’s proceedings and that the Ministry of Justice represents the legal interest of the government and legal advisor, it is fully knowledgeable of the sanctity of the sovereign office of the President and the power and authority pertaining thereof, as such it has no legal right to bring McGill under a LACC investigation, since it is ought at all time to provide legal opinion to all agencies of government to refrain from actions and activities geared at demeaning the sanity of the President.
At the same time, the petition said the budget in question was passed by the National Legislature where the payroll in question was included, as such McGill can’t be held liable.
McGill’s petition came just a week following his appearance at the Liberia Anti-Corruption Commission to answer the investigation into payroll padding on the Ministry of State Supplementary payroll.
The Margibi County Senator and former Minister of State for Presidential Affairs, Nathaniel McGill on Wednesday, August 21, appeared at the headquarters before the Liberia Anti-Corruption Commission for questioning, into allegations of payroll padding and corruption related to salary payment.
This follows a communication served to him by the LACC as an initial investigation into allegations of payroll padding and corruption related to salary payments for an additional payroll containing 728 names at the Ministry of State for Presidential Affairs.
This payroll was allegedly created outside the framework of the Civil Service Agency (CSA) under McGill’s directive during his time as Minister of State for Presidential Affairs.
The LACC stated that the supplementary payroll, which contained 728 names, was established under McGill’s instructions and was marred by irregularities, amounting to payroll administrative malpractice and corruption.
Senator has since reacted to the LACC investigation against him, noting that it is an attempt to silence his voice against his unwavering stance against bad governance.
McGill has maintained that as a public servant committed to transparency and accountability, no number of allegations can deter or silence him.
“We remain resilient in our advocacy for transparency and accountability, and we will continue to stand firm in our efforts to ensure that good governance prevails,” he posted on his social media page.
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