Monrovia – Montserrado County District 10 Representative, Yekeh Korlubah, is challenging President George Manneh Weah to make public his bank statements from January 2018 to present to prove that the costs of the simultaneous constructions of his private properties are being funded with his own money.
Report by Henry Karmo [email protected]
The lawmaker’s challenge to the President was predicated on his previous assertions that President Weah has in his home a container full of money (as part of the reported missing billions of local currency).
This allegation prompted a member of the House, Samuel Kogar, of District #5, Nimba County, to write the leadership; asking for the investigation of Rep. Korlubah.
“Honorable colleagues and members of the House, our colleague’s comments that the President has a container of money at his home when investigators are investigating is a serious issue of concern and requires investigation by this Plenary. Probably, he will reveal to this body the source of his information which could help the ongoing investigation,” Rep. Korgar communication stated.
Plenary voted on Monday endorsing the investigation of Rep. Korlubah.
But a disappointed Korlubah in response to his colleagues’ decision told reporters, “If President Weah feels his character is being injured let him sue me and I maintain that he has the money container at his house. I challenge him to produce his bank statement from January up to today, if he does that I will resign as a Representative.”
He said he has no regrets over his statement and further urged President Weah to return the Liberian people’s money.
Rep. Korlubah first threw the challenge to the President Monday morning on SKY FM 50-50 Show where he alleged that the President has acquired acres of land near Vamoma House.
“I challenge him to show any bank statement that these properties that he’s building at 9th Street, Rehab, Jamaica Resort, Marshall and other places; the land he just bought near Vamoma – the place they’re fencing the President just bought that place. Yes, I challenge him to show me bank statement,” he said.
Korlubah alleged President Weah is using the national resources to enrich himself.
He lamented that since the beginning of the 54th Legislature, lawmakers have not been given their entitled vehicles due to the economic constraint the country is faced with, yet, the President is continuing with the erection of gigantic structures in several locations around the country.
“We’re entitled to car, up to now, we have not gotten car. Can you imagine? The President is there building big properties and we are using our private cars to do the Liberian people’s work and he’s using the money the way he feels like and they say we shouldn’t talk,” Rep. Korlubah said.
He also challenged the Government of Liberia to show which bank was used to infuse the US$25 million into the economy to mop out excess Liberian dollars.
However, Finance and Development Planning Minister, Samuel Tweah, is on record for saying that the commercial banks were not used for the mopping of the excess local currency. Minister Tweah told the state-owned radio that the Technical Economic Management Team dealt directly with money exchanges and businesses with huge amounts of Liberian dollars who needed U.S. dollars.
“Dethrone the Speaker”
Rep. Korlubah expressed the disappointed in the manner in which Speaker Bhofal Chambers had been conducting the affairs of the Legislature and how protective he is of the President.
“This speaker must be dethroned and I believe that he is a paid agent of the president,” Yekeh said.
Speaker `chambers has come under fire from some of his colleagues over what they called his ineptitude to preside over them.
They also accused him of being selective in recognizing lawmakers in session – and prioritizing his fellow CDC lawmakers.