Monrovia, Liberia — Former Speaker of the House of Representatives, Jonathan Fonati Koffa (Grand Kru County, District #2), has publicly accused the government of withholding development funds earmarked for his district — alleging political retaliation tied to his removal as Speaker.
During an interview on the political talk-show “Okay Morning Rush” on Okay FM 99.5FM, Koffa claimed his district failed to receive disbursements for both the 2024 and 2025 legislative-project budgets. He pointed out that despite identifying a contractor and sending three formal letters for a bridge in Ginbertee — a community he said is cut off from commerce — no funds have been released.
“We did not get our share of the 2024 legislative project money … and we are not making any progress in getting our 2025 project money although others have gotten theirs,” Koffa told host Clarence Jackson.
Koffa said the approval process has become stuck in a loop between the Liberia Agency for Community Empowerment (LACE), the House leadership, and the Ministry of Internal Affairs — with each office redirecting him to the other.
Rep. Koffa suggested his district’s exclusion may stem from his political stance: “Most of the representatives who are complaining are the people who supported you when the removal situation came about and they are complaining that because of that, they have been punished.”
Koffa served briefly as Speaker in 2024 after being elected in January and subsequently resigned in May amid a protracted legislative standoff. He maintains his resignation was voluntary and motivated by his concern for institutional stability.
When questioned, the current Speaker’s office and LACE had not provided specific comment by press time.
The allegations raise broader questions about the allocation of discretionary legislative funds and whether political alignment influences distribution. Civil-society groups have previously flagged concerns that non-legislative project funds are being used for partisan purposes. If substantiated, Koffa’s claims could add public pressure to the House’s budget-allocation process and trigger calls for greater transparency and oversight of legislative development funding.
