CAPITOL HILL, MONROVIA – Margibi County Senator Nathaniel F. McGill has raised sharp questions over the funding, approval process, and transparency surrounding the construction of a new Ministry of Justice Complex, just hours after President Joseph Nyuma Boakai broke ground for the project on Thursday, January 29, 2026.
In a statement issued the same day, Senator McGill said that while the initiative is important and welcomed, it is troubling that critical details about the project were not made public prior to the groundbreaking ceremony.
“Today, we witnessed the groundbreaking of the Ministry of Justice Complex by the president,” McGill said. “While we welcome this important initiative, we are, however, concerned about who is funding the project.”
The senator questioned whether the reported twenty million United States dollar cost of the project has been approved by the Legislature, and if such approval exists, when it was granted and under which budgetary arrangement.
“If it is funded by the Government, when was the USD 20 million approved, and has a contractor been approved? Where is the design?” McGill asked, warning against actions that precede formal authorization. “Or is the groundbreaking being conducted before the approval of the building budget and design?”
McGill also raised concerns over whether the project may be funded through external sources, demanding clarity on whether it is being implemented entirely through grant or donor funding that may bypass legislative approval.
“Is the project being implemented with one hundred percent grant or donor funding that does not require legislative approval?” he asked.
The Margibi County lawmaker said his concerns stem from past government projects that were launched with public ceremonies but later became controversial due to questions of procurement and accountability.
“My concern is derived from two controversial projects,” McGill stated, referencing the procurement of the two hundred eighty-five yellow machines and the ten million United States dollar Foya project.
In response to the unanswered questions, Senator McGill announced plans to formally summon the Minister of Justice to provide a detailed explanation of the project before the Senate.
“Therefore, on Tuesday, February 3, 2026, I will place a letter on the floor demanding the appearance of the Minister of Justice before the Senate to provide a detailed explanation of this project,” he said.
McGill emphasized that the Legislature has a constitutional duty to exercise oversight over major public expenditures, especially projects involving significant sums of public money or international support.
He cautioned that groundbreaking ceremonies should not substitute for due process, transparency, and full disclosure to lawmakers and the public.
“Transparency and accountability must not be compromised,” McGill declared, underscoring that his intervention is aimed at ensuring lawful procedure rather than obstructing national development.
