What could be a serious test of the legal system of Liberia has been proposed by former Associate Justice of Liberia Kabineh Ja’neh in his quest to contest the legality of the National Budget 2025 recently passed by the legislature.
It can be recalled that both the Liberian Senate and the Majority Bloc of the House of Representatives concurred to pass the Fiscal Year 2025 Draft National Budget in the tone of 880 million United States Dollars.
The House Plenary took the decision Friday, December 22, 2022, during the 2nd day sitting in the extension of the 3rd quarter following a comprehensive report from the Joint Committee on Ways, Means and Finance and Public Accounts and Expenditure.
According to a House Press Bureau release, the draft 2025 budget was submitted at a little over $USD 851Million, an increase of $112,875,039 compared to FY2024 Approved Budget of $738,859,834.
Over US$878 million had been earmarked in the draft budget. This included US$1.8 million for renovations of the Joint Chamber at the Capitol Building, which was severely damaged by a fire on December 18. The cause of the fire remains under investigation.
The release said following an inclusive budget debate, with lawmakers given time to speak on the Country’s National Development Envelop, a motion was proffered by Nimba County Electoral District 4 Representative Ernest Manseah for the passage of the 2025 National budget and immediately forwarded to the Liberian Senate for concurrence which subsequently voted to in an emergency session to pass the financial instrument.
During voting, all 19 senators present in session voted in favor, but the absence of the remaining 10 senators in such crucial process is now a major public concern, as some senators, including Margibi County lawmaker Nathaniel McGill who was also absent, have consistently argued that the senate’s dealing with the Majority Bloc is illegal.
But speaking on the passage of the budget, the former Associate Justice of the Supreme Court told the nation through Spoon FM on Friday, December 27, 2024, that he and other legal experts will sue the Government of Liberia if President Joseph Nyuma Boakai signs into law the financial instrument passed by the legislature which he thinks bridged legal procedures and requirements.
He said the team of lawyers will first file the case in a lower court and further it to the Supreme Court in an instance where a logical legal remedy fails.
Ja’neh said the goal of the case would be to determine whether the Legislature followed the required constitutional and statutory processes that should lead to the passage and approval of the national budget.
