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Claim: A Liberian journalist claimed that the “Supreme Court ordered Ministry of Finance to pay seven suspended lawmakers.”
Verdict: False! The head of public information at the judiciary said the Supreme Court did not order the finance ministry to pay seven suspended lawmakers.
Full Text
Amidst the ongoing impasse at the Liberian House of Representatives, several lawmakers have been suspended by majority bloc members.
The suspension came with the deprivation of the lawmakers of their salaries and benefits for months. Due to the bloc’s decision, seven suspended lawmakers petitioned the Supreme Court to compel the government to pay their outstanding salaries.
Following this, Johnson Kular, a Liberian journalist, took to Facebook, claiming that the “Supreme Court order(s) Ministry of Finance to pay seven suspended lawmakers.”
Kular made the post while sharing a document believed to be from the court.
Picture of the document Kular shared
Kular’s post sparked mixed views, with some commenters lauding the court’s decision while others called the journalist out for spreading ‘fake’ information.
Given the controversy over the post, DUBAWA verified the information.
Verification
DUBAWA read through the document shared by journalist Johnson Kular and saw that it clearly states that Augustine Ngafuan, representing the Ministry of Finance and Development Planning and Comptroller Emmanuel Kopi, representing the 55th Legislature, were asked to appear before the presiding chambers of the Supreme Court.
The document stated that their appearance is “to show cause while the petitioners’ petition as prayed for should not be granted.”
DUBAWA reached out to the judiciary through its Public Information Division and the Director, Darryl Nmah, who stated that the Supreme Court did not order the Ministry of Finance to pay the salaries of seven suspended lawmakers.
Nmah said the lawmakers filed a writ of mandamus to the chamber justice, asking it to issue a writ, ordering the minister of finance and the comptroller of the House of Representatives to pay their salaries.
He added that the writ issued by the chamber justice requested the minister of finance and the comptroller to appear before the chamber justice and respond to why the lawmakers’ request should not be granted.
“That writ is not an order for them to pay the lawmakers,” Nmah said. “It’s not true. The writ asked the minister and the comptroller why the lawmakers’ petition for a writ of mandamus should not be granted. That’s all.”
Nmah further stated that after the response is made, the justice in the chambers will set up a date to hear the matter for ruling.
“The matter has not gone anywhere yet,” he said. The writ is only asking for their response.”
Nmah, however, called on journalists in the country to seek interpretation of papers coming from the court.
“My advice to the journalists is that if you have a court document and you don’t understand it, call and ask.”
Conclusion
Journalist Johnson Kular’s post that the Supreme Court has ordered the Ministry of Finance to pay the salaries of seven suspended lawmakers is false.
