Claim: “Representative Clarence G. Gahr received a $100,000 district development fund without holding a district meeting to discuss its allocation, undermining transparency and accountability.”
Source: D. Willie’s Jomah, Communication Director to Defeated representative candidate and current Chairman of Lango Town Community
Verdict: Misleadingly, Clarence G. Gahr, chair of the Public Accounts Committee, did not receive $100 thousand for district development.
Full Text: D. Willie’s Jomah, communication director to Defeated Representative Candidate and current Chairman of Lango Town Community, in an open letter to the U.S. Government, called for Representative Gahr’s sanction for allegedly receiving $100k to conduct development in the district, which did not happen.
Jomah copied several local and international human rights and civil society organizations in the letter.
Those copied are French Embassy in Liberia, Embassy of Sweden in Monrovia, UK, the British Embassy in Liberia, and the US President, through its embassy in Monrovia, Joe Biden Vice President Kamala Harris BBC World Service”
This post was later published by DN-NEWS Liberia and received 35 likes, 40 comments, and 7 shares as of our check.
Verification: To verify this, our team contacted Nelson Tamba Walker, a political officer in Gahr’s office. Walker clarified that the funds allocated are for district development, not county development, as Jomah claimed.
Walker said the amount will be spent on agreed projects that will be subsequently implemented by the Liberia Agency for Community Empowerment (LAC) across the 73 districts of Liberia and not a cent will be given to individual lawmakers for district development.
Responding to the claim of Gahr’s refusal to organize a district sitting, Walker said the lawmaker has not been able to call a sitting because he has yet to receive the district development fund.
However, Walker revealed that Representative Gahr has had some level of community engagement with citizens and stakeholders of a few clans in the district.
As a result of the engagements, the following Annex Two of Weala Public School, completing the Lofay Town Hall Project, completing Bloumue Town Hall, and directing the remaining funding to unfinished projects in the district agreement, was reached.
Meanwhile, John Diggs, a resident of District #5 Margibi County, said Representative Gahr has not called for a district sitting, thus calling on him to do so whenever the money is approved for development. According to him, they are the ones to decide what project they need, not the lawmakers.
Currently, the constituents have not agreed on a specific project.
Conclusion: Our facts and findings revealed that Representative Gahr did not receive $100,000 for district development and did not organize a district sitting, as Jomah claimed.
Written by Patrick Moryor, Margibi Fellow
