Monrovia- Margibi County Senator and former Minister of State for Presidential Affairs, Nathaniel McGill on Wednesday, August 21, appeared at the headquarters of the Liberia Anti-Corruption Commission for questioning, amid allegations of payroll padding and alleged corruption relating to salary payment.
This follows a communication served him by the LACC as an initial investigation into allegations for a supplementary payroll containing 728 names at the Ministry of State for Presidential Affairs.
This payroll was allegedly created outside the framework of the Civil Service Agency (CSA) under McGill’s directive during his time as Minister of State for Presidential Affairs.
The LACC stated that the supplementary payroll, which contained 728 names, was established under McGill’s instructions and was marred by irregularities, amounting to payroll administrative malpractice and corruption.
McGill’s appearance at the LACC on Wednesday morning, August 21 witnessed a troop of supporters, mostly, from the opposition Congress of Democratic Change led by its Youth Chairman, Alvin Wesseh.
FrontPageAfrica also witnessed some dismissed Executive Protection Officers among the troop of supporters who gathered at the entrance of the LACC to show solidarity to their former party’s chairman, McGill.
The Margibi Senator was also accompanied by lawyers headed by Cllr. Sayma Syrenius Cephus, who like McGill was sanctioned by the United States Government for alleged corruption in Liberia.
Cephus, however, told the media that he escorted Senator McGill as a friend to the closed-door inquiry.
Details of his discussion were not disclosed to the public, but Cllr. Cephus noted that there is no case against Senator McGill.
However, he noted that until an indictment is drawn, McGill will not oppose any investigation into alleged corruption, but stressed the need for the process to be holistic.
“We will cooperate with any investigation and thank the government for pursuing the matter and hope that it should be a holistic matter and should be based on evidence,” Cllr. Cephus noted.
“There is no case and they should wait for an indictment, if there would be any.
We came here to show that we support the fight against corruption and the fact of the matter here is that the senator is innocent until proven guilty.”
While the LACC was conducting its investigation, FrontPageAafrica also witnessed the dropping in of some members of the CDC, led by its Youth League Chair, Alvin Wesseh.
Wesseh said their presence was to show solidarity with Senator McGill, whom they view as an outstanding individual within the CDC.
“We are here to support not just the Chairman Emeritus, but the Chair of the CDC Progressive Legislative Caucus and we are here to provide support. Every time we assemble, the police take on a partisan posture, so we want to tell the police that you are not the ones with the highest salaries in government, but for each time Boakai stooges deploy you, you become a victim of political circumstances and begin to unleash casualties against your people,” Wesseh intoned.
Mr. Wesseh described the move by the government to invite McGill for questioning into alleged payroll padding, during his tenure as Minister of State for Presidential Affairs, as a “witch hunt.”
He sees said step by the government as a diversionary tactic following McGill’s stance raised against the $20 million the lawmaker discovered in the National budget without Legislative approval.
McGill’s summoning comes on the heels of a damning audit report by the General Auditing Commission (GAC). The GAC reported there was no evidence that the Ministry developed policies to regulate the hiring and management of supplementary personnel.
The audit revealed that 739 staff members were listed under the supplementary payroll, with an annual salary expense of US$2,622,060—more than 50% higher than the total salary expense for regular staff.
The GAC further noted there was no evidence that the Ministry budgeted and reported the salaries of supplementary personnel as a unique line item in the approved budget and financial/expenditure reports. Instead, the salaries were financed by reallocating funds from other budget items, including consultancy fees, without the required approval from the Deputy Minister of Budget and the Civil Service Agency.
McGill’s invitation for questioning by the LACC also followed his recent challenge to the United States and Liberian governments to investigate him and provide proof of his involvement in corruption.
In a recent press conference, McGill called on both governments to address the sanctions imposed on him and to hold both past and current public officials accountable for their actions while in office.
Responding to the LACC invitation, he wrote on his Facebook, “They have requested my presence to provide information that will assist in their ongoing investigation into allegations of payroll padding and corruption related to salary payments on a supplementary payroll containing 728 names at the Ministry of State for Presidential Affairs.”
This marks the first time that Senator McGill has been summoned by a government body to respond to corruption allegations since being sanctioned by the United States government in August 2022.
For the past two years, McGill has repeatedly challenged the U.S. sanctions, insisting that he has no record of corruption during his tenure as Minister of State for Presidential Affairs.
Meanwhile, LACC Commissioner Samuel Darkina told journalists at the LACC headquarters that the investigation is still ongoing and the LACC would refrain from making further comments on the investigation until it is concluded.
