Montserrado County Electoral District #8 Representative Moses Acarous Gray has sharply criticized newly inducted Montserrado County Senator Darious Dillon from the opposition, for terming the House of Representatives and the Liberian Senate as “rotten government institutions.”
He explains that the description of the first of branch of government by Senator Dillon has the propensity to bring that august body to public dispute and undermine the credibility of the professional men and women who have dedicated their time in serving the country.
Rep. Gray stresses that if members of the Liberian Senate will take statement of Dillon common and sweeps it under the carpet, he as member of the House of Representatives will constructively engage the senate on the matter.
He promises to write the plenary of the Liberian Senate this Thursday to complain the senator to his colleagues.
Speaking at a news conference in Monrovia, Tuesday, August 20, Representative Gray also claims asset declaration carried out by Dillon is ‘fake’ and does not reflect the intent of the Code of Conduct which mandates all public officials to declare their assets upon taking the oath of office.
Gray cites Article 10, of the Code of Conduct which states, all public officials shall declare their respective assets including their current income. But he observes Dillon failed to reveal how much he’s earning at the Liberian Senate, which makes the declaration fake.
“For the fact that Dillon could not state how much he’s making at the senate makes the declaration fake and unrealistic and has no legal bearing of the opposition senator. This is a law, and every part of it should be followed legally” he stresses.
While declaring his asset in a news conference last week immediately taking office at the Capitol, Senator Dillon said, “While a full declaration of my assets will be made following the due process outlined by law, I publicly declare today, as I present to the secretary of the Senate my asset declaration papers in keeping with law; everything I own is not more than US$75,000, and the process to commence publishing same starts Monday, August 19, 2019.”
But Gray argues that Dillon had promised the people of Montserrado County in his campaign that upon taking office, he will have declared and published his assets in local dailies, something, he (Gray) notes, the newest senator has begun to renege on.
“Dillon knows very well that the secretary of the senate will not use his personal money to publish someone’s assets and that there is no law that compels the secretary of the senate to publish senators’ assets. So, that is a scapegoat tactics he has introduced to avoid proper declaration of his assets,” the ruling CDC lawmaker points to. By E. J. Nathaniel Daygbor–Editing by Jonathan Browne
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