IPNEWS: Contrary to Tuesday’s statement by the Director- General of the Civil Service Agency Josiah Joekai, that the government of Liberia lost over one million United states dollars due to fraudulent supplementary payroll initiate by former House Speaker J. Fonati Koffa due to the establishment of supplementary payroll to accommodate Partisans of the CDC in his officer while serving as Speaker of the House o representative.
H tough-talking Bong County Representative and former chair, House Rules and Order, came to the swift defence of this former Boss, and former Speaker Fonati Koffa terming the CSA report as untrue.
Addressing a News Conference Thursday, Rep.Cole stated that supplementary payroll at the House of Representative did not originate by the administration of former speaker Koffa.
Cole maintained that Joekai spilled out misinformation stressing ta at no point in time, the Supplementary Payroll originated during the administration of J. Fonati Koffa.
Cole stated that ‘When we came and we met Supplementary Payroll’.
“So, Mr. Josiah Joekai, as you said, that Supplementary Payroll, because you decided to disagree with Fonati Kofa with $327,000 while a variance of for $3,000. On that basis, it led to the establishment of Supplementary Payroll. That is a lie, it’s misleading, it’s malicious, it’s baseless, and it’s criminal.”
“I want to categorically reject that. The second aspect, you also informed the public that $285,000, $284,000, a little over $284,000 was the payroll of the House of Representatives, which Joekai refused, according to him, to approve, that led to the establishment of Supplementary Payroll. I want to again inform him that after the reform process that was established by J. Fonati Kofa, we were able to identify several ghost names on the payroll that he’s speaking to, and he was informed that those individuals, in fact, some of the people’s pictures were provided, that some of those people were dead individuals on the payroll, and we thought it was not proper for him to be on that payroll.”
“That exercise reduced our payroll from $284,000 to $276,000. Josiah Joekai, arrogantly, disrespectfully, refused that he was informed that we were hunting partisans of the Unity Party on that basis. We were never going to stop paying on that payroll.”
“All of you are aware that led to several altercations between the CSE and the Honorable House of Representatives that led to a conversation with the President of the Republic of Liberia, and we told him, Article 89 is very clear. Josiah Joekai did not have any authority to determine the kind of payroll we use or we do not use. He was trying to use the House of Representatives to showcase himself in another way, which he did not have the capacity to do.” rep. Melvin cole asserted.
Touching on the establishment o the civil Service commission, Rep. Cole narrates that against the constitutional provision to have a civil service commission, the Administration of Speaker koffa had asked the President that Josiah Joekai did not have authority to assumed such until an enactment would have been done. But the President was misinformed, and he decided to support Josiah Joekai to carry on that malicious exercise.
“Joekai paid on that payroll consistently. So when you talk about somebody defrauding the government of Liberia, who decided to do it? We inform you that there were individuals on the payroll. Some of them were dead. Some of them had reached retirement age. Some people on the payroll were as old as my age, 52, 51 years old, and we believe that those individuals should no longer be in the employ of the House of Representatives.”
“Now, Josiah Joekai decided now to change that since we cannot agree for him to pay on that payroll, he would not pay on any other payrolls submitted to him. That brought the GD Bank into several confrontations between the House of Representatives and the government of Liberia. Fast forward, we decided that in interest of coordination and peace, the Speaker had advised that we should let everything go, and we allowed that.”
“As of October last year, we got attacked by police of our honor, the directive of the now Speaker, Richard Cohen, when he was controlling the illegal removal of J. Fonati Kofa. All of you know where the process led to, and we resisted, we stood our ground that the process was fraud, the process was criminal, and Richard Cohen was reduced to accepting that process, and he sat on the floor, and he was called Richard Nagbe koon, Representative of Monserrato County, and elections were conducted, and he won that process.”
“ Now, for Josiah Joekai to come in the public, again, with another misinformation, there was nothing that the government of Liberia was being defrauded by the House of Representatives. When we have our budget, go to the 2024 budget under the House of Representatives. We have other compensation like the Senate does. On other compensation, we had $800,000 placed there.”
“I challenge him, and I’m going to provide you payroll today, so that you can look at it. From October last year, who’s been controlling the payroll? It’s Josiah Joekai and his illegal group of people. At the time, Richard Coon was the head of the rebel against those other people, and the payroll, he was consistently approving.
Was it under the domain of Fonati Koffa? No, and let me say something very important. When the Supreme Court ruled in this country, on December 6th, that all and every action that was taken by these guys was not inconsistent with Article 33 and 49, were unconstitutional, illegal, and they came by April 14th, and they made that, they reiterated that position. Josiah Joekett’s team were here, operating with those people.” Representatative Cole maintained.
Cole argues that figures provided by the CSA DG about some $43,000, going missing, ‘ if you tell me by six, seven months, if I will, I will have a difference of that $800,000 or $200,000. So, Josiah Joekai , I mean, enough is enough. You need to leave Fonati kofa name alone.” Representative Cole stressed.
On Individuals on government payroll part of Planned Protest, Representative Cole challenge Joekai to show proof that those individuals were on government payroll.
“ One of the four things he said was there are individuals who are on the payroll who are talking about protest. I mean, I want to inform those individuals that bravo, and thank you for standing up, even though you are on government payroll, as Josiah Joekai is saying, or was on government payroll, and you have decided to protest against the constitutionality of these government actions across the country, and that is true, and it is applaudable, because there is no law that says if you affiliated with political party, Josiah Joekai is not reading the constitution of this republic.”
“It’s clear that all Liberians have the right to jobs, opportunities, despite of your political affiliation, not because of a remarkable comes from the CDC, and he should not be placed on the payroll of the House of Representatives. There’s nothing criminal about that, and you’re not going to make news about that. So, I want to tell those individuals, and I encourage Josiah Joekai to publish those names that he’s referring to.” Rep. Cole challenged.
“When you lose information and innovation, you will continue to be, I mean, you will just be recycling yourself. That is what happened at the CSE. He has lost jurisdiction over the CSE.
He has no idea. So, he goes to the press briefing. He wants to talk about the former speaker, J. Fonati Koffa.
I challenge him, and I’m going to provide you payroll today, so that you can look at it. From October last year, who’s been controlling the payroll? It’s Josiah Joeckai and his illegal group of people. At the time, Richard Coon was the head of the rebel against those other people, and the payroll, he was consistently approving.
Was it under the domain of Fonati Koffa? No, and let me say something very important. When the Supreme Court ruled in this country, on December 6th, that all and every action that was taken by these guys was not inconsistent with Article 33 and 49, were unconstitutional, illegal, and they came by April 14th, and they made that, they reiterated that position. Josiah Jockai team were here, operating with those people.
It is a man who wants to talk about law. He who preaches everything must come with clean hands. You are disrespecting the court, and Josiah Joekai, I can tell you, Joseph Boalkai is not going to be president for life in this country.
You will be prosecuted for disrespecting the Supreme Court. So there’s a caveat to be sent to all of you who think that now this is a law and gospel in this country. You guys are demagogues.
You can do anything and go scot-free. You are going to be brought to justice. So this press conference will be kept, and it will be used again tomorrow.
At the time the Supreme Court said, Richard Koon, you and your people, your authority that you exerted are illegal, unconstitutional. You were at the grounds of Capitol building, approving and working along with these very people. Then you come, you have the audacity to stand in the public and talk about the defrauders and some of them who names are on the payroll, they’re talking about a protest. Rep. Cole concuded.
Speaking on Tuesday at the Ministry of Information’s regular press briefing, the Director-General of the Civil Service Agency (CSA), Josiah F. Joekai Jr., categorically denied allegations surrounding a reported missing $48 million, branding the claims as “outright falsehood and desperate political propaganda” designed to derail ongoing government reforms.
Speaking on Tuesday at the Ministry of Information’s regular press briefing, Joekai stated that the controversy originated from a request made by the leadership of the 54th Legislature—under former Speaker Fonati Koffa—seeking to increase the central administration payroll from US$284,000 to US$327,000 monthly. Joekai said the CSA rejected the request due to a lack of justification and non-compliance with standard public payroll procedures.
Following the CSA’s refusal, Joekai revealed that the House’s central administration allegedly initiated a “backdoor arrangement,” creating an unauthorized supplementary payroll that ballooned to over US$1.5 million monthly. This supplementary payroll, he said, included ghost names and unauthorized personnel, all without the knowledge or approval of the CSA.
“We immediately moved to terminate the illegal supplementary payroll that was created without our consent. That decisive action has since provoked these false and misleading narratives from individuals who benefited from the scheme,” Joekai stated.
He rejected claims that US$48 million had gone missing, calling it a gross distortion of the facts and an attempt by political actors to tarnish the image of the CSA and undermine the Boakai administration’s civil service reform agenda. Joekai emphasized that all government payroll and payment records are accessible through the CSA’s Electronic Salary and Benefits Platform (ESRP) for public review and transparency.
Meanwhile, a group known as Citizens United to Demand Accountability has launched a nationwide campaign dubbed “Account for the Masses” to demand answers regarding the alleged missing funds. In response, Joekai assured the public that the CSA remains open to scrutiny and welcomes independent audits to validate its operations.
