The House of Representatives has invited the Minister of Public Works, Roland Layfette Giddings, to clarify the use of US$22.4 million on road contracts. The august body reached the decision following a communication from Bong County’s district #5 Representative, Eugine J.M. Kollie.
Representative Kollie claimed that the Ministry of Public Works awarded the US$22.4 million road contracts to some construction companies, including CHICO, CICO and other institutions, without the approval of the 55th National Legislature.
“It has come to my attention that the Ministry of Public Works awarded these contracts without seeking approval from the Legislature, as required by the Public Financial Management (PFM) and the Public Procurement and Concession Commission (PPCC) laws of the Republic of Liberia, which state, among other requirements, that funding should be available before the awarding of contracts by any government institution,” he stated.
The Bong County Representative said such raises serious questions about the integrity of the bidding process in the awarding of contracts and the overall management of public funds.
“As a member of the House of Representatives, I am deeply concerned about the lack of legislative oversight in the awarding of such a significant amount of public funds,” the lawmaker admitted.
He recollected the pivotal role legislators play with oversight roles in ensuring transparency and accountability in government spending within the confines of the law, existing policies and best practices, and any violation of such process must be thoroughly investigated.
Meanwhile, the Public Works Minister is expected to appear before plenary on Tuesday, June 18, 2024.