UP explains use of controversial US$365,000

Ruling Unity Party probes expenditure of US$365,000 received for inaugural celebration.

By Ethel A. Tweh 

Monrovia, Liberia, May 7, 2024 – A Special Investigative Committee set up by the ruling Unity Party to probe the disbursement of 365,000 United States Dollars given to the Party for the Inauguration Celebration of President Joseph Nyuma Boakai in all 15 counties uncovers that contrary to disbursement procedure, some county leaderships distributed the fund based on administrative districts instead of electoral districts. 

“For instance, Lofa County has five electoral Districts but 11 administrative districts. So if Electoral District 1 has three administrative districts, each administrative District will receive US$1,333.00”, the committee details. 

According to the investigative report, all of the county chairs confirmed that they, together with a representative of the county’s leadership, signed for and received US$5,000.00 for each district in their respective counties but withdrew US$1,000 from the amount.

“Having realized that there was no fund for mobilization and other related expenses for disbursing to each district for the celebration, our report found that they engaged and requested the National Chairman to allow them to expand US$1,000 from each district fund for county leadership used. According to them, the Chairman granted them their request with the understanding that they will account for the US$1,000 with all necessary source documents despite clear procedure on the disbursement of the money for some counties”, the report reveals. 

The Special Investigative Committee has presented its report to the UP National Chairman, Rev. J. Luther Tarpeh. 

On January 18, 2024, the Unity Party finance office reportedly received an amount of Three Hundred Sixty-Five Thousand United States from the UP’s Inaugural Budget and Finance Committee. 

The committee members are Mr. Edmund Forh Forh, Chair; Mr. Patrick T. Worzie, Co-Chair; Mr. Adolphus A. Y. Lake, Member; Mr. Noah Z. Gibson, Member; Mr. John O. F, Kangbah, Member; Mr. Zunu K, Dunyan, Member; Ms. Mariam Donzo, Member; Ms. Frances W. Wright, Member; and Cllr. Murphy Kanneh, Advisor. 

The money, according to the Party, was given by UP Standard Bearer, President Joseph Boakai, to allow all Seventy-Three (73) districts in the 15 counties to enable them to partake in the inaugural celebration, with a mandate for each district to receive Five Thousand United States Dollars (US$5,000.00).

However, following President Boakai’s inauguration on January 22, 2024, public outcry arose between partisans and UP officials over alleged mismanagement of the fund, prompting Chairman Rev. Tarpeh to set up a panel to investigate. 

Meanwhile, the Committee has recommended that counties and districts without receipts, invoices, delivery notes, participants’ lists, and photos be made to produce the required documents or restitute the amount disbursed at county, electoral district, and administrative district levels. 

It says the recommendation points to the fact that some counties reported none of the documents mentioned above, though the report failed to mention the names of counties involved with missteps or those that proceeded accordingly. 

It also recommends that county finance committees develop a policy on cash and cash control to be approved by the national executive committee for party functions and that the UP national leadership organize workshops to educate county branch offices on handling cash and reporting procedures.

The report calls for the establishment of a welfare and hospitality committee to handle similar interventions in the future.

“Mr. Chairman, we expressly extol the leadership of the Unity Party (UP) for its effort to ensure accountability and transparency in how we do business in our party,” the report concludes. Editing by Jonathan Browne