By Emmanuel Nathaniel Davis
Monrovia, Liberia: The Plenary of the House of Representatives has invited the General Auditing Commission (GAC) to conduct a comprehensive system review and financial audit covering the period from January 2022 through December 2024.
The decision, reached during the House’s session on Thursday, October 16, 2025, was supported by a decisive majority of lawmakers in plenary.
This audit engagement is initiated under the mandate of the Auditor General as provided for in Section 2.1.3 of the GAC Act of 2014. The process will begin with a System Review, which is a limited assurance engagement designed to assess the Financial Management System and processes of the House of Representatives.
This initial review will evaluate areas including administration such as personnel management, maintenance, and payroll; financial management encompassing accounting policy, budgeting, and financial reporting; procurement practices; liabilities and receivable management; internal control systems and the internal audit function; asset management with a focus on a reliable asset register; banking transactions including reconciliations and record keeping.
It will also focus on specific required reconciliations between the House of Representatives and the Ministry of Finance and Development Planning, as well as donor expenditures.
To ensure robust legislative oversight throughout this multi-phase process, the GAC will collaborate closely with the House’s joint committees on Public Accounts and Ways, Means, and Finance.
Following the decision, House Speaker Ricard N. Koon urged all members of the House to fully cooperate with the auditors.
He emphasized that the initiative is critical for ensuring transparency and accountability in the government’s financial operations, reinforcing public trust in the institution’s fiscal governance.
Lawmakers Push:
Scores of lawmakers, including Nimba County Representative Musa Bility have pushed for a comprehensive audit of the House of Representatives. In a letter dated June 18, 2025, Bang County District #1 Representative Prince K. Koinah formally petitioned the Speaker of the 53rd House of Representatives, Richard Nagbe Koon, to authorize a comprehensive audit of the legislature’s internal operations. The lawmaker argued that as custodians of the public trust, the House must lead by example.
The lawmaker outlined clear objectives for the engagement, which would be conducted by the General Auditing Commission (GAC). The primary purpose is to ensure that the House of Representatives operates in accordance with relevant rules, procedures, and laws, and that it functions both effectively and efficiently.
