SENATOR KONNEH EXPOSES CONTROVERSIAL $83 MILLION CBL LOAN TRIGGERED BY LETTER FROM FORMER PRES. WEAH’S CHIEF OF STAFF

MONROVIA, LIBERIA – Former Finance Minister under the Ellen Johnson Sirleaf administration and current Senator of Gbarpolu County, Amara Konneh, has exposed a letter written December 11, 2023, by former President George Manneh Weah’s Chief of Staff, Wesseh Blamo, to the Executive Governor of the Central Bank of Liberia, J. Aloysius Tarlue.

This letter reportedly triggered an $83 million loan to the Government of Liberia (GOL) in December. The General Auditing Commission (GAC) has stated that this loan was in violation of the Constitution, Public Financial Management (PFM) Law of 2009 (as amended), and the CBL Act.

                                      See controversial letter below:

December 11, 2023

 

Hon. J. Aloysius Tarlue, Jr.

 

Executive Governor

 

Central Bank of Liberia (CBL

 

Monrovia, Liberia

 

Dear Executive Governor Tarlue:

 

I present my compliments and herewith from you that His Excellency President Dr. George Manneh Weah has directed me to request the Central Bank of Liberia (CBL) to work out collaborative arrangement with the Ministry of Finance and Development Planning (MFDP) to exclusive pay salary for civil servants for the month of December 2023 with the aim of preventing national security risk to the transitional process and allow government employees to happily celebrate the festive season with family members and friends.

 

Mr. Executive Governor, this request is based an information from the Minister of Finance and Development Planning (MFDP) regarding fiscal challenges, including unanticipated decline in revenue due to global uncertainties coupled with domestic financing of the electoral process in Liberia and the constraints of inadequate revenue in the consolidated account of the government to pay salaries for the month of December 2023. The CBL and MFDP should design a resolution strategy to settle obligation ensuring from payment of the salary for aforementioned period.

 

Please accept, Honorable Executive Governor, the assurance of my highest esteem.

 

Kind regards,

 

Faithfully yours,

 

Wesseh Blamo

 

Minister and Chief of Staff to the President

After revealing the letter on his official Facebook page, Senator Konneh expressed shock at some coalition members, led by Albert Chie of Grand Kru and Joseph Jallah of Lofa, suggesting to “let sleeping dogs lie” and ignore the issue. He recalled the same Senate nearly imprisoning him in 2015 for recommending budget cuts to non-essential spending to fund health and education during the Ebola crisis.

Senator Konneh emphasized that he and other conscientious members of the 55th Senate, led by Pro Temp Nyomblee Karnga-Lawrence, will not turn a blind eye. He highlighted that the borrowing of $83 million was not only a violation of the Constitution and the PFM Act 2009 (as amended) but also raised suspicions regarding its purpose and timing. The public, he insisted, needs a comprehensive account of how the government allocated these funds.

He further stated that borrowing and spending $83 million within a short span of less than 60 days, especially during an election and transition season, demands an explanation. Senator Konneh’s newly formed ad-hoc Committee, along with the Senate PAC, aims to investigate the specifics of the December wage bill and understand why the borrowing exceeded the $34 million wage bill to reach $83 million. While not directly accusing anyone of theft, he emphasized the need for a detailed audit to clarify the situation, stating that they will trace every check written to draw down on the $83 million.

Senator Konneh concluded by stressing that “sleeping dog” refers to ‘secrecy,’ which is unacceptable in free, democratic, and open societies like Liberia, where public services are not effectively serving the people.