Three Lawmakers Open Up

-But House Challenges Them To Provide Proof Of Malpractice

The House of Representatives has endorsed a communication from Montserrado County electoral district nine Representative, Munah Pelham-Youngblood to investigate three lawmakers of that august body to provide proof that the leadership of the house has carried out some malpractices.

(L-R) Rep Sloh     Rep Kolubah           Rep Lawrence

Recently, a group of lawmakers including Sinoe County District two Representative Jay Nagbe Sloh of the governing Coalition for Democratic Change (CDC), Adolph Lawrence of Montserrado County electoral district #15, CDC and Yekeh Kolubah Montserrado Dist. 10 demanded House Speaker Bhofal Chambers and his leadership to respond to a barrage of allegations of malpractice levied against them.

According to Representative Sloh, they have in their possession documents which show that some lawmakers, with the consent of Speaker Chambers have over the months received and disposed personally “huge quantity” of duty-freed gasoline that was intended for the entire body.

“We have the detailed statistics that we have received from our sources. So, we wanted to confront the Speaker and his administrators on what has happened to this duty-free gasoline that we are supposed to be receiving that we understand a few people are receiving and converting into their personal use,” he said. We wanted to give them the courtesy and the respect, but now they want us to wash our dirty close in the open. But since indeed the Speaker and his people think that they will threaten and harass us in the public hearing, I am not afraid. Let them tell us who have been receiving this duty-free gasoline,” Representative Sloh said.

But in a communication Thursday January 17, 2019, Representative Munah Pelham-Youngblood who is also the house’s chair on Executive said such insinuations have the proclivity of bringing that august body to public disrepute.

“Honorable Speaker, it will also interest you to know that Representative Yekeh Kolubah on January 16, 2019 while addressing reporters at the Capitol alleged that Representative Mariamu Fofana, chairman of the House Rules, Order and Administration committee received some items on behalf of the House of Representatives and that she diverted it to her private use. During that interview, he also displayed series of documents protecting his allegations,” Rep Youngblood recounted in her communication.

The Montserrado County district nine Representative wants the three lawmakers appear before the committee on Rule, Order and Administration to provide proof of their claims and failure on their part, disciplinary action be taken against them in line with the house’s rules.

“This will maintain the sanity and sacredness of this august body,” she added.

Following the reading of the communication, a motion was raised by Bong County electoral district five Representative Edward Karfiah saying the committee should report in one week and the chairman of the Rules, Order and Administration Committee who is also indicted by the aggrieved lawmakers recues herself during the investigation to avoid conflict of interest in line with Rule 45 of the House of Representatives.

The movant also accepted amendments that Representative Kolubah referred to Speaker Chambers as Togolese and he should be made to provide proof as well and no members of the house should make public statements on the matter during the investigation.