Bong County authorities are being criticized for what appears to be a total violation of the budget law of Liberia, following the appointment of a county comptroller instead of an election.The Budget Law says delegates attending the county council sitting should “elect a three-member project management committee once every three year, comprising a chairperson, a treasurer, and a comptroller.”
During the County Council Sitting on Monday, 12 November, Bong County Senator and Chairman of the Council Sitting Henry Yallah announced Abraham Kollie as the new comptroller for Bong County.
But many observers described the appointment as stage – managed.
However Sen. Yallah claims that no one applied for the position, leaving the county’s leadership with no option but to appoint Kollie to fill in the void.“Having said that, we will appoint Mr. Abraham Jutonue Kollie, a knowledgeable man reading MBA, to take charge as acting comptroller until we drag the next sitting to legitimize that,” Yallah announced at the Sitting.
But his justification was rejected by Lawrence Plator, the former chair of the county’s project management committee who claimed that he expressed interest in the position through a written application.
Mr. Plator says he was shocked to hear the senator announcing that no one had applied for the job.
Plator says he is doing some consultations to decide his next course of action against the county.
“The whole budget law was hijacked today; in fact, I was surprised to have heard the chairperson of the Caucus saying no one applied for the job,” Plator says.
“It is false and misleading. I have my document with me. They just decided to manipulate the process,” he continues.The former head of the Bong County Civil Society, Stephen Mulbah, was elected as chair of the project management committee, while John Mc’joe, reportedly the agriculture coordinator for Jorquelleh District Two, was elected as treasurer.
By Joseph Titus Yekeryan in Bong–Edited by Winston W. Parley
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