House summons Transport Ministry

The House of Representatives has summoned the Ministry of Transport to appear before plenary next Tuesday to explain the alleged sale of insurance stickers and depositing proceeds into a private bank account instead of the Government Revenue Account.

Speaking on Thursday, 4 May in regular session of the House, the co-chair on Public Accounts, Representative Edward Karfiah, says it has come to the attention of the lower House that the Ministry of Transport in collaboration with a private entity is selling insurance stickers.

He recalls that in the past, insurance stickers were deposited at a government designated bank and fees collected were deposited directly in state account under the directive of the Liberia Revenue Authority.

Karfiah argues that evidence available confirms that there is currently a complete deviation from the standard operating procedure (SOP) regarding the sale of insurance stickers and the management of government revenue.

‘’The Ministry of Transport has new stickers in the country, which it has deposited in SKY Insurance, while fees collected are being deposited into the private account of CUSMOS Construction Company at the GTBank’’, Karfiah discloses.

He also notes that the decision by the Ministry is disturbing and troubling, and amounts to economic sabotage at the time when the current administration is struggling to raise revenue to support government programs and policies. Karfiah says they as lawmakers could not sit supinely and condone acts that undermine and sabotage the economy of the state. The Ministry of Transport has not provided any official response to the concern raised by the lawmaker.

By Bridgett Milton -Editing by Jonathan Browne