By Bridgett Milton
Members of the House of Representatives have rejected a request from the Minister of Internal Affairs to lift the moratorium placed on the Bong County Development and Social Development Accounts.
Internal Affairs Minister Varney Sirleaf had appealed to the Plenary through the representatives’ offices, seeking the removal of the moratorium.
The moratorium was imposed in 2019 following an audit conducted by the General Auditing Agency (GAC). The GAC’s audit, completed since then, had raised concerns about the setup of the County Council.
However, the rejection by the House was grounded in the fact that the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) had not yet reported on the matter.
Additionally, members said the initiation of the moratorium had been at the behest of the Bong County legislative caucus.
This decision underscores the importance placed on due process and committee evaluations in matters of financial governance.
On 10 August 2021, Bong County District #3 Representative Marvin Cole wrote a letter to plenary inviting Internal Affairs Minister Varney Sirleaf and the county’s Superintend Esther Walker to appear before Plenary and explain the alleged mismanagement of over $80,000 USD from the county’s coffers.
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During their appearance, Minister Sirleaf and Superintendent Walker denied financial malpractice and said they had been working in line with the law.
Minister Sirleaf said Rep. Cole had over the past had a close relationship with Bong County Assistant Superintendent for Fiscal Affairs Paul Sulunteh who sometimes complained of being left out in financial decision making by the county despite being signatory A-1 to the county’s account.
However, the lawmakers in session voted to audit the account of the county from the period 2018 to 2021.
