The Liberian Senate has launched an investigation into Minister of State, Sylvester Grigsby, over allegations that he solicited a large sum of money from the National Social Security and Welfare Corporation (NASSCORP) to procure vehicles for President Joseph Boakai’s inauguration.
The plenary’s decision was triggered following a joint communication from Gbarpolu and Montserrado Counties’ Senators, Amara Konneh and Abraham Darius Dillon respectively, in which both Senators described the Minister’s decision as unfortunate and wrong.
The allegations involving Minister Grigsby also come at a time when the country is facing economic challenges and widespread corruption, further fueling concerns about the misuse of public funds.
The Senators, in their communication, displayed a letter allegedly signed by the Special Advisor, now Minister of State to President Boakai, then president-elect Boakai, instructing the Director General of NASSCORP, Dewitt vonBallmoos, to purchase five vehicles to be used for the occasion.
The five vehicles, according to Sens. Konneh and Dillon, cost a whooping US$115,000 each to drive international guests from the Robert International Airport (RIA) to the Capitol building for the inauguration of President Joseph Boakai.
According to the two Senators, the decision/action by Minister Grigsby is also in violation of the Public Procurement Concession Commission (PPCC) and Public Financial Management (PFM) Laws as amended.
They both argued that the Minister’s decision is also in total contradiction to the President’s push for transparency and accountability in government, a move they described as bad governance practice of using SOEs as slush funds.
At the same time, the Senators are calling on their colleagues to reprimand NASSCORP’s Director General, as well instruct the Minister of Finance, to reimburse NASSCORP the full costs of the vehicles from the Ministry of State’s budget.
Sens. Konneh and Dillon also want the Senate to recommend to President Boakai, to ask for the Minister Grisby’s resignation, disclosing that the purpose of NASSCORP is to manage workers’ Social Security trust funds by receiving payroll taxes.
Others, they narrated, are paying out benefits and investing any surplus in special government-backed investments, and as such, it is wrong to use pensioners’ money as a slush fund to purchase vehicles for government operations.
Meanwhile, following the reading and explanation of the communication, Senate Pro-Tempore, Nyonblee Karnga-Lawrence, mandated a special committee to probe allegations against the Minister.
The special committee is expected to issue a report on its findings in the coming week, which will shed light on the allegations against Minister Grisby and provide recommendations for the Senate plenary action.
The outcome of the investigation will likely have far-reaching implications for the government of President Joseph Boakai and will test his commitment to fighting corruption and promoting good governance.
The outcome of the investigation will be a test of the government’s commitment to transparency and accountability, and will set a precedent for future cases of alleged corruption in Liberia.
