The Liberian Senate says it will look into claims of funding a deal that involves an energy company, K-Power, through the 2024 Fiscal budget. This is considered a bold move by the Senate in search of the right answers and information.
The Senate reached the decision during its sitting on Tuesday, February 25, 2025, during an interaction with the Minister of Finance and Development Planning (MFDP) Mr. Augustine Kpehe Ngafuan, who for the second day in role appeared before Senators on Capitol Hill.
During the deliberation, the finance minister responded to the K-Power claims by denying the reports and also informed the Senate about their decision to remove K-POWER funding from the budget by not appropriating a dime to the company during the crafting of the 2024 fiscal year budget.
The minister also informed senators that there hasn’t been any “budget outturn” published or made available by the Ministry of Finance to anyone, but committed to do so by April 2025.
Despite his clarification, the Senate opted to expand their investigation into the claims by inviting him and his team to appear before a Committee of a Whole (Entire Senate), on March 4,2025 at which time he will be required to provide a detailed report and explanation on the K-Power controversy.
On the concerns about why the ministry has delayed the printing and distribution of the Fiscal year 2025 budget, he apologized to the Senate and blamed it on the many challenges faced in dealing with the budget.
He, however, informed the senators that the budget had already been printed and was being distributed to senators and other stakeholders across the country as of the time of his appearance.
The Senate as part of its oversight responsibility will, along with the Minister of Finance, look at the entire budget for proper discussion and or interactions for clarity when he appears before them next Tuesday, March 4, 2025.
