The plenary of the Honorable House of Representatives has summoned authorities of the Liberia Revenue Authority (LRA) and BIVAC to appear before the full plenary of the House of Representatives to show cause why they should not be held in contempt due to a gross disrespect shown to members of the House through their communication regarding their inability to appear before full plenary on Tuesday, January 26, 2021.
The decision for the LRA boss and his commissioners and BIVAC to appear before plenary and show cause why they cannot be held under contempt came about when plenary of the House of Representatives on Tuesday January 19, 2020, through a communication written by Grand Bassa County’s district#3 Representative, Matthew Joe, about the hike in prices.
The lawmakers individually asserted that the Commissioner General of the Liberia Revenue Authority and his Deputy Commissioner General should come and state why they should not be held under contempt for their actions. Plenary’s action to summon LRA came as a result of a letter of excuse written by the Deputy Commissioner of LRA, which in their minds was to be written by the Director General himself, addressed to the plenary of the House of Representatives. The letter says that they would not be able to appear before the House of Representatives on Tuesday, January 26, 2021 due to other obligations, which members of the House of Representatives term as gross disrespect to the honorable body.
According to some of the lawmakers, the LRA boss intentionally disrespected them because they saw him at the President’s 4th annual message on Monday, January 25, 2021.
As the National Legislature assured Liberians of being robust in discharging their legislative duties and enforcing President Weah’s comments on his 4th annual message to the nation on Monday: “There will be no room for error, no room for laxity, people will give account of their actions.”
Plenary reached the decision based on a motion by Lofa County’s district #1 Representative, Francis S. Nyumalin, that the Liberia Revenue Authority ( LRA) and BIVAC be made to appear before the full plenary on Thursday, January 28, 2021.
Plenary also resolved that heads of shipping companies come on Thursday, January 28, 2021, and explain why they should not be held in contempt.
The deputy for administration at BAVIC wrote a letter of excuse, telling the plenary of the House of Representatives that the entire team that was to appear before the plenary were sick.
With the letter of excuse from BAVIC, claiming that the entire team are sick, the plenary of the House of Representatives decided that BAVIC come on Thursday, January 28, 2021 with their medical reports considering the current COVID-19 pandemic in the country and the world at large, to ensure a healthy conversation between them.