MONROVIA – Hastily observed, the arrest, brief incarceration and charge of opposition lawmakers, including former Speaker J. Fonati Koffa, for alleged arson and other crimes are seemingly in the right direction in pursuit of justice and rule of law. But a more closer view would find something different, and intriguing. The nearly eight-month House brouhaha left behind multiple national concerns around prosecution-deserving casualties, and not just the burning of the Capitol Building. There were also concerns about the lethal attack on the country’s budget laws – the alleged wanton pillage of the state coffer to facilitate alleged bribery and dish out cash to a group of allies. Yet, the Joseph Boakai administration sees only one particular concern, as if they had only one eye of justice, and this is not going down well with Nimba County Representative Musa Hassan Bility who now vents his outrage against such a hypocrisy in an open letter to the president.
Nimba County District 7 Representative Hassan Musa Bility is acknowledging ongoing trial of a group of colleagues for their alleged roles in the burning of the Capitol Building as being in the right direction but is at the same time pointing to the gesture as a “one-eyed justice” demonstrated by the ruling Unity Party establishment.
Bility warned that the pursuit of justice must never be selective, and the truth of what transpired during the seven months of legislative conflict must be fully uncovered, adding that there seems to be pretense that only fire that has engulfed the people’s House during the conflict period.
“The alleged arson may cost this country one or two million dollars to repair, but what about the millions, perhaps hundreds of millions, lost through abuse and misappropriation within the Legislature itself?” Bility, who is also Political Leader of the Citizens Movement for Change (CMC), said in an open letter to President Boakai.
He added: “Let me begin by acknowledging that the events leading to the commencement of the trial of our fellow lawmakers, accused in the alleged arson at the Capitol, have been stormy, disturbing, and marked by abuse of power, violations of individual rights, and the denial of institutional respect due to government officials and a former Speaker of the House. Yet, despite the trauma, here we are, finally at a point where the case will now be heard on its merits, in full view of the public, through what we hope will be a free, fair, and transparent trial.”
He said the trial of his colleagues is a step in the right direction, but reminded the president that the pursuit of justice cannot never be selective, and that the truth of what transpired during the seven months of legislative conflict must be uncovered.
“However, Mr. President, let us not pretend that this is the only fire that has engulfed the people’s House. The alleged arson may cost this country one or two million dollars to repair, but what of the millions, perhaps hundreds of millions, lost through abuse and misappropriation within the Legislature itself? Bility said.
He said for months, while this investigation was pursued, the national budget was misused. “Funds meant for development were repurposed for political expediency. Millions of dollars, under the 2024 budget, were diverted, far more than the damage from the fire. Yet no similar urgency has been shown in investigating that crime,” the CMC leader furhter noted.
He said he supports a full and fair trial, and that if any of his colleagues are to be found guilty of arson, they must face the full weight of the law, indicating that “We equally affirm their right to pursue redress through civil litigation if they are unjustly targeted.”
Bility asserted: “But justice, Mr. President, must not be one-eyed. If your administration seeks the truth about one crime, it must not ignore the other.”
He said he has tried to bring a motion for the audit of the House of Representatives but failed multiple times, stressing that the Legislature will never muster the courage to audit itself.
“But you, Mr. President, are empowered under the law,’ he said, referencing the Revised Act establishing the General Auditing Commission which gives the president the authority to mandate the audit of any public institution, including the Legislature.
“This is your constitutional and moral responsibility. And this is your moment,” Bility further said, telling the Liberian leaer that if he truly believes in accountability, “if your government is committed to ending corruption and abuse, then let it begin at the very heart of our democracy. Order a comprehensive audit of the House of Representatives and the Senate, particularly from 2011 to the present. Let the people see how their money has been used, misused, and abused.
“This should be your legacy, Mr. President. Not just the prosecution of a few alleged arsonists, but the bold decision to clean the system from within. Yes, it will hurt. Yes, it may expose allies and discomfort friends. But Liberia deserves it. Our people deserve it. History will honor you not for your silence, but for your courage.”
Bility reminded the president that the country cannot continue to beg the world for aid while squandering its own resources through unchecked legislative corruption.
“Our international partners will never truly respect us until we show that we respect ourselves. This is your chance to restore the bleeding dignity of the people’s House. Do it for the homeless mother, the out-of-school child, the hungry elder, and the countless citizens watching a trial while their government refuses to account for far greater crimes.”
He also added that the president can prosecute lawmakers over a $2 million fire but turn a blind eye to the systemic theft of public funds within the Legislature, “then you confirm the fears that this trial is political. Then it will appear not as justice, but as vengeance,” urging the president to “summon the courage”.
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