X’mas Bonanza for Ex-servicemen

Government has announced that it will this Friday begin the final payment of arrears to former members of the Armed Forces of Liberia or AFL and other ex-servicemen as well as current and past civil servants across the country.

The amount which totals a little over one hundred twenty-four million, four hundred and fourteen thousand, eight hundred and sixty one Liberian Dollar (LD124, 414,861.00) includes the final payment of arrears owed to the former AFL soldiers.

A  Finance Ministry release issued Wednesday said the payment to the ex-AFL soldiers is targeting eight thousand nine hundred seven (8907) former enlisted men (AFL), two thousand nine hundred-thirty five police officers (2935) and one thousand six hundred ninety-five retired and current SSS Officers (1695).

The former AFL officers will receive the last batch of the 22 months arrears that were owed them by past Liberian governments. The former soldiers will begin receiving their last two months by this Friday.

The total amount being paid to the soldiers is a little over 16 million Liberian dollars (16,067,001.00LD) for the two months.

The Media Services release says this constitutes the final payment to the former enlisted men of the AFL. The cumulative payment to the former AFL Soldiers over the 22 months totaled a little over one hundred and sixty million Liberian Dollars (160,670,010.00LD).

The Finance Ministry release said government has already completed the payment of 20 months arrears owed three thousand eight hundred seventy-seven former officers of the dissolved Armed Forces of Liberia.

The total amount paid the former officers is over seventy- one million Liberian Dollars (71,389,170.00). The total amount disbursed to both former officers and enlisted men of the Armed Forces of Liberia is over two hundred and thirty two million Liberian Dollars (232,059,180.00LD).

The Finance Ministry said it will also begin disbursing additional two months’ salary to seven thousand three hundred eighty-one (7381) recruited teachers across the country. The payments are for the months of November and December 2010.The amount expected to be disbursed to the teachers is in the region of a little over 80 million Liberian Dollars.

The Finance Ministry has also begun the payment of  one month arrears to the General Civil Service in the region of a little over 28 million Liberian Dollars(28,347,860.33LD).This payment is targeting over 27 thousand civil servants. Payments of arrears are also being made to officers of the Immigration Bureau, National Fire Service and the Drug Enforcement Agency.

The Media Services release quoting the Comptroller and Accounting General of Liberia, John BS Davies said modalities are being concluded with key government ministries and agencies to effect increment in the salaries of AFL Officers, teachers, health workers and police officers before the end of December 2010.

Meanwhile, government has begun the disbursement of December salary and allowances to civil servants across Liberia. The payment started since last week at the various commercial banks around the country through the direct deposit payment scheme. pay teams along with cash officers from the central Bank of Liberia have being deployed to counties and cities around Liberia where there are no commercial banks to pay civil servants salary arrears.