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Claim: According to a post by Shine Liberia, a social media blog, the legally elected Speaker’s office has finally received the Draft National Budget from the Chief Clerk’s Office.
Verdict: False. The Executive has rejected this claim, asserting that the draft budget has yet to be re-submitted. The government maintains that its Nov. 18, 2024, submission to the acting Chief Clerk remains valid. Furthermore, Shine Liberia has failed to authenticate its assertion.
Full Text
The fight for legitimacy in Liberia’s House of Representatives has escalated amid claims over who is in charge of the 2025 Draft National Budget. The controversy follows the majority bloc’s move to oust Speaker Fonati Koffa.
In October, members of the House signed a resolution calling for Speaker Koffa’s removal, citing alleged actions they deemed counterproductive to his office. The political upheaval coincided with the submission of the national budget by the Executive branch, creating uncertainty over which faction in the House would receive the document.
Amid this turmoil, on Tuesday, Dec. 3, 2025, Shine Liberia claimed via social media that the legally elected Speaker’s office had finally received the Draft National Budget from the Chief Clerk’s Office.
“Way to go… congratulations,” Shine Liberia posted, adding, “73 copies were submitted by the Ministry of Finance to be distributed among the 73 Representatives.” The post featured images of Speaker Koffa and the budget documents but raised more questions than answers.
Other outlets, including DTV Online, amplified Shine Liberia’s claim.
The Supreme Court is expected to rule on the current House of Representatives stalemate this week. DUBAWA sought to verify Shine Liberia’s assertion in light of public interest.
Verification
Research reveals that the draft 2025 budget was submitted to the acting Chief Clerk on Nov 18, 2024, who forwarded the document to the majority bloc supporting Speaker Koffa’s removal.
Contrary to Shine Liberia’s claim, the Ministry of Information clarified that the Executive had not re-submitted the draft budget. A government statement emphasised that the November 18 submission remains valid and was never withdrawn.
Jerolinmek Piah, the official government spokesperson, dismissed the social media post as baseless. “Not true,” he said when asked about the claim.
Conclusion
Based on the evidence, Shine Liberia’s post and similar reports are demonstrably false.