MONROVIA – Nimba County District #7 Representative Musa Hassan Bility has sharply criticized the House of Representatives’ decision to limit its financial and administrative audit to the fiscal years 2022 to 2024, describing the move as a deliberate attempt to shield wrongdoing and mislead the Liberian people.
On Tuesday, October 14, 2025, members of the House overwhelmingly voted to commission a comprehensive audit covering only the last two fiscal years. While the decision marked the first time in decades that the House has agreed to open its books for review, Rep. Bility argued that the restricted timeframe falls far short of genuine transparency.
In a press statement issued shortly after the vote, Rep. Bility acknowledged the leadership’s willingness to undergo an audit but dismissed the scope as insufficient. “First, I want to commend the courage of the leadership for even considering an audit of the House,” Bility stated. “However, the truth of the matter is that this decision does not fit within the true spirit of accountability.”
He noted that the House of Representatives has never been audited in its history, despite repeated calls for greater oversight. “We have consistently called for a full audit of the House from 2011 to the present. At the very least, the House must be audited from 2018, a period that coincides with widespread allegations and reports of financial improprieties and systemic corruption,” he emphasized.
Bility questioned the rationale behind excluding earlier years, suggesting that the move was calculated to avoid exposing serious financial misconduct. “To now selectively choose only two years for audit, without any justification or rationale for excluding other periods, shows disregard for the intelligence and expectations of the Liberian people,” he asserted. “It is especially questionable when the years left out are those in which, according to records and testimonies, the gross mismanagement and looting of national resources were at their peak.”
He described the decision as “shameful, dismissive, and a mockery of public accountability,” adding that such selective auditing is nothing more than “a shenanigan designed to shield wrongdoers and deceive the Liberian people into believing that accountability is being pursued.”
The Nimba lawmaker called on the leadership of the House, including the Speaker and Deputy Speaker, to expand the audit’s scope to at least 2018. “I therefore call on the Speaker, Deputy Speaker, and the entire leadership of the House to stop making fools of the Liberian people. Commit to a comprehensive audit from at least 2018 to the present so that the truth can be established and the public can regain confidence in the institution that is supposed to hold others accountable,” he urged.
Bility further stressed that no politician should be allowed to hide behind selective audits or unexplained wealth while pretending to be a savior. He warned that Liberia’s progress depends on the Legislature’s willingness to subject itself to the same standards of scrutiny it demands of others. “The Liberian people deserve to know the truth about how their money was used, who benefited, and who must be held accountable,” he said. “Accountability must not be compromised, and the Liberian people must not be treated with disdain.”
Bility concluded by insisting that a meaningful audit must cover all periods where evidence suggests massive financial mismanagement. “Only then can transparency truly return to the People’s House,” he stated.
