By Grace Q. Bryant
The House of Representatives has formally summoned the Managing Director of the National Port Authority (NPA), Sekou Hussein Dukuly.
The invitation follows concerns raised over inconsistencies and ambiguities in the revenue and expenditure figures reported by the NPA.
In a letter addressed to the Speaker of the House of Representatives, several discrepancies in the financial statements presented by MD Dukuly were highlighted.
During a public briefing at the Ministry of Information Cultural Affairs and Tourism on June 25, 2024, and a subsequent post dated June 26, 2024, Dukuly claimed that the NPA raised $14 million in revenue over five months.
He also stated that the NPA had $6 million in cash reserves and had contributed $2 million to the National Budget within the same period.
According to the lawmakers, the statements suggest a significant portion of the revenue remains unaccounted for informing plenary that, “Through analyzing the NPA boss’s statements, this kindly suggests to us that over $6 million dollars remains unaccounted for or it probably was expended on a risky mission that does not seek the interest of our people,” he noted in his letter.
Further complicating matters, a fact-check by Local Voices, an accountability group funded by USAID, revealed that Mr. Dukuly’s claims about the previous administration’s contributions to the national coffers were erroneous.
Mr. Dukuly had asserted that the NPA only contributed $4million under former President George Weah, a statement contradicted by the fact-checkers.
The lawmakers emphasized the urgency and importance of Mr. Dukuly’s appearance before the Legislature to provide a detailed explanation of the NPA’s financial activities pointing out, “Currently, our schools across the country are in a dilapidated state, hospitals lack medication, roads are in terrible conditions, yet a government entity is allegedly using US$6M in six months with no accountability.”
The letter concluded with a call for Mr. Dukuly to brief the Legislature on the procedural revenue generation and expenditure at the NPA adding, “It is prudent that Mr. Sekou Hussein Dukuly comes before this body to brief and clarify his latest pronouncement of procedural revenue generation and expenditure at the NPA.”
The invitation for Mr. Dukuly to appear before the Legislature has been scheduled for this Thursday’s session where he is expected to share light on the NPA’s financial management and address the concerns raised by the Legislature and the public.
