BUCHANAN, Grand Bassa – Amid the alleged disappearance of billions of dollars in newly printed Liberian banknotes, Grand Bassa’s Sen. Jonathan Kaipay is calling on the Coalition for Democratic Change-led government to bring in international investigators to conduct an independent audit instead of the Liberian government itself.
Senator Kaipay, who represents Liberty Party, made the call from the U.S., where he was attending the 28th National Convention of the United Bassa Organizations in the Americas.
The Grand Bassa senator said, because the CDC-led government was involved in the potential financial impropriety, an independent audit is required to establish credibility and transparency.
He commended President George Weah for appealing to the U.S. government and the International Monetary Fund for financial experts to assist the government in the investigation.
“But while we acknowledge and appreciate the initial approach of President Weah to unearth the truth of this mysterious financial saga, we also call on the president to go an extra mile by soliciting the expertise of a credible independent body to conduct a forensic audit to ensure best practices,†he added.
At the same time, Kaipay says he supports his colleagues’ decision to hold an emergency session to assist in solving the mystery of the missing billions since the legislature is the one that authorizes the printing of the country’s currency.
Grand Bassa residents have been engaged in the discussion of the missing billions, with many calling to community radio stations to call for the president to thoroughly investigate and locate the missing billions.
While the protest held in Monrovia was not duplicated in Buchanan or other cities in Grand Bassa, some residents were glued to their radios and phones to monitor live coverage of the Monday protest.
Some residents praised the protesters but critiqued their timing, giving that an investigation is still ongoing.
Featured photo by Mustapha Kommeh
