Transferred, Not Dismissed

-Gender Minister clarifies Dismissal Claims

By Jackson C. Clay, Jr.

The Minister of Gender, Children and Social Protection, Williametta Saydee Tarr has denied media reports that she has dismissed some employees of the Ministry.

Addressing a news conference Monday at the Ministry, Minister Tarr clarified that she at no time dismissed any employee of the ministry but transferred some employees whom according her were undermining the workings of the ministry.

“It is fully false information that I dismissed some people of the ministry. I did not dismiss anyone but only transferred some employees After consulting and discussing with CSA, and in keeping with the revised Civil Service Agency Standing Order of 2012, Chapter 3, sections 3.4.9, a & b, the Ministry requested the transfer of six employees with their salaries for administrative purposes,” Minister Tarr told journalists at a news conference.

Moreover, Minister Tarr indicated that upon taking over as Minister, the Senior Management Team of the Ministry received from the General Auditing Commission, a completed payroll audit report of the Ministry.

According to Minister Tarr, the audit was commissioned by the past administration, ranging from July 2014 to January 2018.

“The GAC was then requested to extend the payroll audit to the final months of the past administration, ranging from October 2017 to January 2018. In June of 2017, the GAC submitted their final report, which they said, was an adverse report, which raised concerns around certain employees’ involvement with misappropriation of salaries and allowances on the Ministry’s payroll,” she disclosed

The Gender Minister asserted that upon the final report of the audit, the Deputy Minister for Administration was requested to inform the concerned employees to submit themselves to the Liberia Anti-Corruption Commission (LACC) and cooperate with its investigation.

She narrated that in line with Chapter 3, Section 4.26 a, b & c of the Civil Service Standard Orders, the involved employees have been immediately suspended without pay, pending the outcome of the LACC’s investigation.

At the same time, the Gender Ministry boss refuted reported claims that she has refused to sign the Ministry payroll for the month of July, she has signed and submitted the payroll to the Ministry of Finance and Development Planning.

She further clarified that the presence of City police officers at the Ministry of Gender, Children and Social Protection is as a result that the all service contracts procured for 2017/2018 fiscal year ended as of June 30th, 2018, thus, upon advise by the office of the Deputy Minister for Administration (DMA) of the need to at all times have the assets of the Ministry protected.

“The decision was made to temporarily bring in the Monrovia City Police to provide security service for the Ministry until the conclusion of negotiations and procurement for new contracts with vendors is concluded,” she noted.