Monrovia – A group calling itself Citizens United to Demand Accountability for US$48 Million, which has announced a planned protest for June 19, 2025, is challenging the Director General of the Civil Service Agency (CSA), Josiah Joekai, to publish the names of its members he alleged were on the supplementary payroll of former House Speaker, Cllr. J. Fonati Koffa.
By J.H. Webster Clayeh (0886729972) – [email protected]
The group, which is demanding a full account of US$48 million allegedly deducted from civil servants’ salaries nationwide, says the CSA boss is attempting to mislead the public and derail their call for transparency.
During the Ministry of Information’s Regular Press Briefing on Tuesday, Mr. Joekai claimed that many of those leading the upcoming protest were placed on a supplementary payroll by the former Speaker—a list he said he later terminated.
According to Mr. Joekai, Speaker Koffa submitted a revised payroll for the Central Administration of the House of Representatives requesting an increase from US$284,000 to US$327,000 per month, citing a variance of US$43,000.
“The former Speaker asked me to approve a new payroll totaling US$327,000 monthly, with an annual variance of US$516,000. I wrote him back and asked for the basis for the increase, guided by proper procedures,” Joekai explained.
He said he refused to approve the new payroll. However, despite his disapproval, the former Speaker allegedly created a supplementary payroll to accommodate over 200 individuals, including, he claims, current protest organizers.
“Because we rejected that payroll, the then leadership created a supplementary payroll with a dollar value of US$1.5 million. The CSA later moved in and terminated it,” Joekai said.
The CSA boss revealed that the agency will soon publish the names of the 243 individuals who were allegedly added to the supplementary payroll under Speaker Koffa’s administration.
“People leading this protest were on that list, and I want to make it known that I will be publishing those names soon,” he added.
Protest Organizers Deny Allegations
In response, the group—through its spokesperson Foday N. Massaquoi—vehemently denied the allegation, challenging Mr. Joekai to immediately publish the names of any protest leaders alleged to have been on the legislative payroll.
“We challenge Mr. Joekai to publish the name of any of our leaders on that payroll. None of us have ever worked for the legislature. The only time we’ll be on the legislature’s payroll is if we are elected as lawmakers,” Massaquoi said.
The group’s chairman, Torkpa Korkoryiza, described Joekai’s comments as misleading and deceptive, accusing him of attempting to deflect attention from their legitimate demands for accountability.
“It is both dishonest and insulting to the intelligence of the Liberian people,” Korkoryiza said.
He cited Joekai’s own 2024 CSA report, which he claimed outlined sweeping payroll changes resulting in savings the group believes are unaccounted for.
“In his own report, Joekai claimed to have removed over 7,000 names from the payroll, saving US$2.4 million monthly—totaling US$28.8 million annually. He also claimed to have reduced consultant payrolls by US$4.6 million, and to have saved another US$15 million by removing ghost names and ending mobile money payments,” Korkoryiza stated.
“When you add those figures—US$28.8 million, US$4.6 million, and US$15 million—you arrive at the exact US$48 million we are demanding accountability for.”
Korkoryiza reiterated that their protest would proceed as planned unless the CSA publishes evidence implicating any protest leader in payroll fraud.
“We will not be distracted by Mr. Joekai or any other government official. These diversionary tactics will not stop our movement,” he said.
“Despite Mr. Joekai’s failed attempt to mislead the public, we remain focused on the core issue—the unexplained disappearance of US$48 million in public funds. The Liberian people deserve answers, not excuses.”
The group stressed its determination to hold public officials accountable, vowing to pursue justice on behalf of civil servants and all Liberians.
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