On October 17, 2023 a screenshot of what appeared to be a WhatsApp message surfaced online with a claim that Minister of Finance and Development Planning Samuel Tweahv was at the offices of the Liberia Revenue Authority to instruct the LRA authorities to dismiss citizens of Lofa and Nimba in top positions.
The Claim
The exact words in the message were: “Minister of Finance Mr. Samuel is currently in the LRA building demanding that all Lofa and Nimba citizens working in professional positions must be removed from their respective positions because they are Unity Party people”.
Rating Justification
In respond to the viral message, the Liberia Revenue Authority issued a press release on October 17, refuting the claims in the viral message.
The LRA release said the institution maintains a strict policy of non-partisanship and does not hire or terminate employment based on any political allegiances.
It said that happened at the LRA was a regular and routine gathering of the LRA Executive Management Team, which often includes the Minister of Finance and other senior officials from the Ministry.
The gathering provided a forum for the discussion of policy matters and other critical issues pertaining to revenue collection and the overall performance of the LRA and not a meeting for to dismiss employees.
We also contacted the office of Finance and Development Planning Minister Samuel Tweah through his Special Assistant, Aloysius Howe about the viral message.
How did not reply our WhatsApp messages up to the time of publication of this report.
Should we have any new information from Mr. Tweah’s office, we shall update this report.
The LRA press release reads:
LRA Refutes False Claims and Clarifies Misinformation (Tuesday October 17, 2023) The Liberia Revenue Authority strongly refutes the false, deceptive, and misleading information currently circulating on social media regarding the alleged dismissal of employees believed to be Unity Party partisans and supporters from Lofa and Nimba counties. The LRA is a national government institution with an unwavering commitment to the collection of lawful revenues for the betterment of the Liberian people and the development of the nation. We want to emphasize that the LRA maintains a strict policy of non-partisanship and does not hire or terminate employment based on any political allegiances.
In further clarification, the referenced meeting in the fabricated message is a regular and routine gathering of the LRA Executive Management Team, which often includes the Minister of Finance and other senior officials from the Ministry. These meetings serve as forums for the discussion of policy matters and other critical issues pertaining to revenue collection and the overall performance of the LRA. We wish to make it abundantly clear that the LRA will not be distracted by any form of negative propaganda that seeks to draw the authority into the realm of mainstream politics.
The Liberia Revenue Authority (LRA) is the government agency entrusted with the collection of taxes, customs duties, and other revenues in Liberia. The LRA is unwavering in its commitment to efficient tax administration, transparency, and professionalism, all geared towards contributing to the development and prosperity of Liberia. We encourage the public to rely on verified and official information sources for accurate updates on matters concerning the Liberia Revenue Authority.
Conclusion
Based on these facts we therefore conclude that the claims in the viral screenshot is misleading.
What happened at the LRA was a gathering of Executive Management Team on the discussion of the institution’s revenue collection and overall performance.
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.
