MONROVIA: This paper has gathered that the Ministry of Finance and Development Planning is grappling with its worst transportation crisis to date, exacerbated by soaring petroleum prices and increased transportation fares.
Every day, hundreds of employees struggle to find bus rides to work.
Not more than three years ago, the Ministry of Finance and Development Planning was notorious for blatant violations of financial regulations.
The current crisis, now widespread, has led to complaints by employees who trek long distances, worried about punctuality.
The scarcity of buses at the Ministry of Finance and Development Planning remains a significant challenge for the new administration.
“It is very bad,” said an employee who preferred to be called John for fear of reprisal – “Imagine, I had to leave from Brewerville as early as 5 a.m. and get home by 8 p.m. because we don’t have buses to take us to work,” the employee said.
At a recent monthly meeting, the HR manager of the Ministry of Finance and Development Planning raised concerns about the undelivered purchase of two employee buses, initially ordered in November 2021.
This failure is believed to have originated from unscrupulous actions by some former government officials.
The alleged mishandling of the bus transaction by Mr. Alhaji Dukuly, Comptroller (Budget and Finance Unit); Procurement Director, Eric Akoi; and former Deputy Finance Minister, Rebecca Yonger McGill; constituted a breach of the country’s Financial Management Law.
These officials were implicated in reported financial misconduct, that is said to be undermining the Ministry’s capacity to fulfill its fiscal responsibilities effectively.
The Ministry, responsible for providing the fiscal roadmap for the country, generating checks, paying civil servants, and negotiating with international bodies like the IMF, is now stretched thin due to the clamed past malfeasances.
Following an investigation into the complaint filed by the Human Resource Director, both Mr. Alhaji Dukuly and Mr. Eric Akoi were terminated from their jobs.
The decision, approved by the new Deputy Minister for Administration, Bill McGill Jones, was based on findings from the Internal Audit Unit and a Special Committee.
The termination letter cited specific sections of the CSA Standing Orders and the Public Financial Management Regulations of 2009, directing the terminated employees to return all Ministry properties to the Administration and HR Units.
Now with many unable to use the bus, analysts say the action by the Ministry aims to serve as a deterrent to potential violators, as it struggles to overcome the current transportation crisis and restore integrity to its operations.
