By Staff Writer
With just few weeks to the much anticipated general elections of the Liberian National Bar Association (LNBA) slated for November 30, 2024, one of the candidates for the position of Secretary General Cllr. Elisha T. J. Forkeyoh, is calling for a comprehensive audit of the past leadership headed by Cllr. Sylvester D. Rennie.
Cllr. Forkeyoh said, if he is elected, one of his priorities will be to ensure that the past leadership of the Bar account for every money entrusted to their care.
Forkeyoh who is running on the ticket of Cllr. Wiefueh Sayeh suggested that the audit will be conducted by an independent firm. The former senior law clerk of former Chief Justice Francis Korkpor made the revelation in an interview with judicial reporters on recently in Monrovia.
According to Forkeyoh, if his team of candidates are elected, they will ensure that those responsible for act of financial impropriety face the full weight of the law. “We are going to prosecute anyone past officials linked to financial malpractices,” the aspirant promised.
The call for audit is a clear indication that members of the Bar are disappointed with the current leadership handling of fund belonging to the Bar.
Forkeyoh ’s choice of independent firm to lead the audit process is sure to raise eyebrows about massive financial impropriety at the LNBA.
Cllr. Forkeyoh who also served as the former President of the National Association of Public Defender said, they are determined to change the traditional financial policy of the Bar, where dues and fees are pay directly to people at the bar offices.
“There is no accountability in this traditional policy, where monies are paid by cash, and not through the bank,” Forkeyo noted.
“We are wholly and sincerely committed to changing the current sad financial narrative in the Bar, which necessitated, to the failure to complete the Bar headquarters project, almost six years,” Forkeyoh claims.
“Imagine, us lawyers only paid our dues and fees in cash to the individual assigned to the bar offices,” Forkeyoh said “This needs to change if we are interested to ensuring accountability and transparency, as lawyers. Even, elementary school demand parents to pay fees to the bank,” Forkeyoh noted.
He however placed the current delayed in the completion of the headquarters, despite thousands of payments being made, to lack of fiscal displaine, in utilizing fees collected from members of the association.
He said, if elected, he would promote LNBA involvement through a multi-sectoral alliance and with civil society organizations. “We are respected civil society organizations in the country, but what can we boast of impacting the society,” Forkeyoh question the role of past administration.
Forkeyoh disclosed that their leadership is based on accountability and transparency. Meanwhile, the Bar election committee will on Monday release the timetable for the November 30 elections.
