Monrovia – The Legislature has in the past years come under series of criticisms from the public due to alleged acts of corruption in the corridors of the Capitol Building.
In the past days following the release of a Global Witness report accusing several current and past Government officials of receiving bribe to tweak the Procurement law in the interest of Sable Mining, the Capitol has become uneasy.
The GW report has led to calls for the resignation of the Speaker of the House of Representatives, J. Alex Tyler and Grand Cape Mount County Senator, Cllr. Varney Sherman to save face by resigning and allwong justice to take its course.
Amid rumors that there are plans by members of the House of Representatives to push the Speaker aside from presiding over session until his name is cleared in the ongoing saga, some lawmakers are still tightlipped on their position.
Two lawmakers, Representatives Samuel Korgar of Nimba County and Gabriel Smith of Grand Bassa County have come out publicly, demanding Speaker Tyler to step aside and give justice a chance.
According to them, doing so will be the most honorable thing as it would bring back some sanity and integrity to that august body.
On Tuesday and Wednesday of this week, members of the House of Representatives were seen in pocket meetings.
It is not clear what has been the focus and outcome of the meetings but sources have hinted FPA that strategies are being devised to oust the speaker which is an uphill challenge as it will require accumulating 51 signatures.
Speaker Tyler has survived several attempts by his colleagues to remove him from the powerful position. Many believe that the Speaker has, over the years, built himself a stronger bloc that appears very difficult to penetrate.
In 2014, Representatives Edwin Snowe, Emmanuel Nuquay, Samuel Korgar, and Henry Fanhbulleh amongst others were victims of a failed attempt to remove speaker Tyler over a US$25, 000 allegations from the Liberia Anti-Corruption Commission.
The LACC commenced investigation into a US$25,000 payment from the National Oil Company of Liberia (NOCAL) for legal services provided to the Legislature for a nationwide oil consultation.
The payment became questionable when the amount paid by the oil company turned out to be much higher than what was actually received by the lawyer who provided the legal service.
The LACC subsequently made arrests with Speaker Alex Tyler, Representative Adolph Lawrence and others at the core of an investigation along with the lawyer, Cllr. Michael N. Allison.
Speaker Tyler is believed to be harboring a huge political ambition with an eye on contesting the presidency of Liberia in the 2017 general and presidential elections, which makes the character of the man contemplating a presidential run a big deal.
Unlike Tyler, Senator Varney Sherman of Grand Cape Mount County is under less pressure from his colleagues with his status as a member of the legislature and chairman on the senate judiciary committee.
Some senators have disagreed with the Senate on recent statement issued, calling on President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf to order the Taskforce to cease fire.
Henry Karmo (0886522495) [email protected]
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