MONROVIA – President Joseph Boakai has been reportedly engaged in talks with each the bulk and minority blocs of the House of Representatives in an effort to resolve the continuing management deadlock.
By Selma Lomax [email protected]
The discussions come because the nation prepares for a pivotal Supreme Court listening to on March 14, regarding a Bill of Information filed by Speaker Fonati Koffa towards the Majority Bloc.
The minority bloc, led by Speaker Koffa, has insisted on holding new elections for the Speakership, rejecting the legitimacy of Speaker Richard Koon’s management. The minority bloc argues that Koon was not elected by all members of the House, thus questioning his authority.
The authorized dispute stems from allegations that the Majority Bloc, led by Speaker Koon and Deputy Speaker Thomas Fallah, violated a December 6, 2024, Supreme Court ruling. The court docket had issued directives that the Majority Bloc is accused of disregarding.
In December 2024, Koffa, represented by his authorized counsel Cllr. Arthur Johnson, petitioned the Supreme Court for corrective motion, citing what he referred to as a deliberate disregard of the court docket’s ruling.
Koffa’s petition additionally accuses Liberia’s Justice Minister and Attorney General, Cllr. Oswald Tweh, of contributing to the violations by issuing a authorized opinion on December 10, 2024, that misinterpreted the court docket’s ruling. According to Koffa’s authorized staff, Cllr. Tweh’s opinion, which asserted that the Majority Bloc’s actions had been lawful, additional deepened the unlawful proceedings inside the legislature.
Koffa’s authorized staff is asking the Supreme Court to declare the actions of Majority Bloc leaders, together with Koon and Fallah, null and void, and to deem all classes, hearings, and selections held by the Majority Bloc as violations of the court docket’s ruling.
In response to the continuing authorized battle, President Boakai has reportedly met with Koon and Koffa individually in hopes of ending the legislative deadlock on the House of Representatives.