HoR PAC Chair Receives Int’l Guests By Fiona Benson Kollie

A high-powered delegation from several auditing groups across the world on Monday, May 26, visited Chair of the Public Account Committee (PAC) of the House of Representatives (HoR).

The visit was part of efforts to further improve the issue of accountability and transparency in the country.

The delegation comprises members of the international organization of supreme audit institutions, including the Africa Institutions Supreme Audit, the body of Auditors General of Africa, the OECD, the Accountability and Transparency office of America.

According to Clarence Gahr, chair of the House’s committee on Public Account, the delegation held discussions with him on how the HoR can improve the issue of transparency and accountability in the country’s governance system.

Gahr said, the visit aims to get some insight on the module Liberians have been using to keep the country’s accountability and transparency in check.

He also told reporters how the country is one that is rated highly on corruption.

One of the key items on the agenda for the visiting guests, according to Rep. Gahr, is to ensure that all member countries get full independence, operations independence and financial independence.

He then informed the gathering that in the region, Liberia’s GAC has gained its operations independence, but said what left is the financial independence that the delegation intends to address.

Gahr added that even though GAC has a full budget but maintained that the independent that the law provide by the act that created the auditor general in section 3.4 c which requires that by the passage of the budget, fifty percent of the budget should be transferred to the entity as to enable the GAC function properly is what the meeting was center around as to ensure that the GAC get the full independence.

Moreover, Gahr said part of effort to further give the GAC it full independence, the House of Representatives and stakeholders are also going to organizing a retreat soon as to sign a resolution that give the GAC it’s full independence in order to move the country forward.