LIBERIA – The Speaker of the 55th Legislature, Cllr. J. Fonati Koffa, has issued a robust response to accusations made by Rep. Taa Zogbe Kartoe Wongbe. Wongbe had reportedly accused Speaker Koffa of collusion, financial irregularities, and other allegations, prompting Koffa to defend his actions and clarify his position in a detailed statement.
In his response, Speaker Koffa addressed the accusations point by point, stating that Rep. Wongbe had misunderstood or intentionally misrepresented his remarks made during a working dinner with the President. Koffa clarified that he had urged the President to stop pushing bills through a partisan outfit known as the “Rescue Bloc” and emphasized that Executive Bills should be sent to the House Leadership, which controls the agenda. He stressed that at no time did he commit to passing all bills without scrutiny or regard for the people’s interests and the rule of law.
Koffa further explained that his exchanges with the Executive branch stemmed from a complaint filed by the House’s Committee on Executive, and he questioned how he could be accused of colluding with the Executive while leading efforts to address the “yellow machine” issue, which had prompted a presidential response.
Regarding transparency and audits at the Legislature, Koffa highlighted that he is the only Speaker in Liberia’s history to sign up for audits of the House. He noted that the Auditor General advised setting up a system before conducting audits and that he had no control over the pace of the General Auditing Commission’s (GAC) work. He assured that steps were being taken to ensure audits are done and advised Wongbe to familiarize himself with the issues.
Koffa also addressed the issue of members’ benefits, acknowledging that it has always been a concern at the Legislature. He mentioned that he had entertained countless members from previous legislatures on this issue and even threatened to shut down the House over it. He informed that the Committee on Ways, Means, and Finance had developed a schedule and briefed the Plenary, assuring that remaining benefits would be paid soon.
In response to allegations of connivance with the Executive, Koffa challenged Wongbe to present any bill or instrument passed that was not in Liberia’s interest. He asserted that his management of the Plenary is non-partisan and emphasized his commitment to coordinating with the Executive and Judiciary to ensure measures and legislation beneficial to Liberia are enacted.
Koffa also criticized Wongbe for his recent actions, questioning whether Wongbe was conniving or collaborating when he traveled with the President to South Korea and genuflected before him in Abuja. Koffa called on Wongbe to raise the benefits issue during such interactions if he was genuinely concerned.
On the topic of budget alterations, Koffa recounted how he first raised the issue with the Ministry of Finance when discrepancies in the House’s budget were discovered. He informed that the Legislative Budget Office (LBO) was instructed to analyze the entire budget document, which led to the Ministry of Finance and Development Planning removing the document from their website.
Concluding his response, Koffa stated that his training as a lawyer and his legislative experience would not allow him to act on incomplete information. He dismissed Wongbe’s claims as baseless and reckless, attributing them to the nature of “Facebook politics.” He encouraged Wongbe to attend leadership meetings to better understand the workings of the Legislature and wished him luck in his pursuit of the Alternative National Congress (ANC) Chairmanship.
“I won’t be responding further,” Koffa concluded, setting the record straight in his detailed rebuttal.
