Since his appointment as Chairman on Research and Rapid Respond of the Unity Party camping team, Martin K.N Kollie a former student leader at the University of Liberia, has been highlighting several issues on social media.
In a post made on August 28, 2023, Mr. Kollie, citing page 13 of the National Budget, claimed that First Lady Clar Weah budget in this fiscal year budget is US$ 700,000 and that combining allotments in fiscal year 2022 and 2023 budgets, both President George Weah and his wife Clar Weah got US$ 11.2 million appropriation in two years.
Kollie made the claim as an argument that money allotted to pay the salaries of medical doctors were lower than what was jointly allotted to the Office of the President and his wife. We have fact checked these two claims by Mr. Kollie, and here’s what we found:
Claim #1: Page 13 of the Approved 2023 National Budge has an allotment of US$700,00 for the office of the First Lady
Verdict: Incorrect
To fact check the first claim, we reviewed the approved budget for Fiscal Year 2023. On page 13 of the budget, which was referenced by Martin, there are allotments for the Ministry of State for Presidential Affairs which includes: Government of Liberia Funded Projects, Compensation of Employees, and allocation for the use of Goods and Servies.
There are two allotments under the Government for Liberia Funded Projects: US$800, 000 for the renovation of the Executive Mansion and US$700,000 for humanitarian outreach.
The rest of the allotments on page 13 are for basic salary, maintenance, foreign and domestic travels, scholarship and other operations of the Ministry of State for Presidential Affairs.
The US$700,000 allotted on page 13 of the Fiscal Year 2023 budget is for humanitarian outreach under the Ministry of State for Presidential Affairs and not for the office of the First Lady as claimed by Mr. Kollie.
We therefore conclude this the reference cited by Mr. Kollie is incorrect. Page 13, of the Approved 2023 National Budge does not have any allotments to the First Lady.
Claim #2: “In 24 months, 2022FY and 2023FY, a poor country like Liberia appropriated a budget of US$11.2 million for both George Weah and his wife, Clar Weah.”
Verdict: Incorrect
Also, we verify the second claim that both President Weah and his wife in two years (2022 and 2023) were allotted US$ 11.2 in the national budgets.
In 2022 National Budget, the Office of the President received an allotment of US$ 5, 453, 000 (five million, four hundred fifty-three thousand United States dollar) while US$ 700,000 (seven hundred thousand United States dollar) was allotted for humanitarian outreach under the Ministry of State for Presidential Affairs.
Also, the Office of the President in the 2023 National Budget received an allotment of US$ 4, 311, 750 (four million, three hundred eleven thousand, seven hundred fifty United States dollar).
And the same amount of US$700, 000 (seven hundred thousand United States dollars) was allotted for humanitarian outreach under the Ministry of State for Presidential Affairs.
Our research of the National Budget shows that the first time the Office of First Lady appeared in the National Budget was in 2018, when US$500, 000 was allotted for humanitarian outreach.
From 2022 to current there is no allotment in the National Budget for the Office of the First Lady.
A total of the allotments made to the Office of the President in the 2022 and 2023 was US$ 9,764,750 and not US$11.2 million as claimed by Mr. Kollie. Therefore, the claim that in 24 months an appropriation of US$11.2 million was made to President Weah and wife is incorrect.
Conclusion
Based on the facts established by our review of Fiscal Year 2023 National Budget, the claim by Martin KN Kollie that First Lady Clar Weah received US$700,000 in the 2023 National Budget is incorrect. The US$ 700, 000 is allotted for humanitarian outreach under the Ministry of State for Presidential Affairs and not the office of the First Lady.
Also, the claim that President Weah and his wife received a total of US$11.2 million from the 2022 and 2023 National Budgets is also incorrect. In 2022 the office of the President received an allotment of US$5, 453, 000, and in 2023 National Budget, the office of the President received an allotment of US$4, 311, 750 while the office of First Lady Clar Weah did not receive any allotment in both 2022 and 2023 National Budgets.
This report was developed with the support of Internews through the USAID Media Activity project. The funder has no say in the editorial decision leading to the production of this content.
