LIBERIAN SENATE: Senator Prince K. Moye has rejected allegations tying him to a plot aimed at removing House Speaker Cllr. Jonathan Fonati Koffa.
Public narratives are accusing members of the House of Representatives of doing so to prevent an audit of the House of Representatives.
Senator Moye rejected the claims during a Press Briefing at his Capitol Building on Monday, October 21, 2024.
According to the Bong County Senator, rumors circulating in the public, suggest that he’s one of the Master-Minders pushing to unseat Koffa because of his previous leadership roles in the House.
It can be recalled that during the 54th National Legislature, Senator Moye while representing Bong County Electoral District 2, served as Deputy Speaker and Chairman of the Ways, Means, and Finance Committee.
“I want to categorically deny the claims repeatedly being made by some folks from the House of Representatives that we are afraid of an audit because we served there before in leadership positions and that is why we want to see the Speaker being removed. I don’t have anything to do with the removal of Speaker Koffa because my service at the House was transparent,” Senator Moye stated.
He further clarified that he became Chairman of the Ways and Means Committee in September 2016 and resigned in December 2017. He insisted that during his tenure, the legislature adhered strictly to the budget approved by the House, and there was no unauthorized transfer of funds.
Moye emphasized that any allegations of improper financial management are baseless, particularly during his time in office.
“It was not possible under my chairmanship that former Finance Minister Boimah Kamara, a man of high integrity, would have sent money that was not budgeted to the legislature. We executed what the legislature budgeted and signed into law,” he added.
Moye also detailed the modest budget under which he operated as Deputy Speaker, noting that his office never exceeded one million U.S. dollars during his three-year tenure.
“I ran that office on a budget under one million U.S. dollars. The Deputy Speaker’s budget did not exceed one million dollars under my watch. I challenge anybody in this country to check the Ministry of Finance’s website,” Moye declared.
He contrasted his tenure with Speaker Koffa’s current administration, claiming that the budget for Koffa’s office has dramatically increased since his election as Deputy Speaker in 2021, with outturns reaching over four million U.S. dollars in 2023.
Moye called for an audit of the House of Representatives and suggested that the increased budget under Koffa’s leadership should be closely examined.
“We have taken the initiative at the Senate to do an audit, so be man enough to do the same instead of scapegoating people. The real issue is how the budget increased to four million U.S. dollars with no justification,” Moye stated.
The Senator also urged lawmakers accusing him of orchestrating Koffa’s removal to focus on addressing the legitimate concerns raised by their colleagues instead of casting blame.
He repeated his commitment to transparency and called for an audit to clear any lingering doubts about the financial management of the House during his time as Deputy Speaker.
Moye concluded by clarifying that all financial agreements, as per law, originate from the House of Representatives.
He rejected claims that he was motivated by personal or political interests in Speaker Koffa’s removal, emphasizing that the real motive behind the move to unseat the Speaker should be questioned.