Monrovia, Liberia— The lawyers representing the legal interest of Margibi County Senator Nathaniel F. McGill have filed a petition for a writ of Prohibition with the Supreme Court to restraint, prevent, and stop the ongoing investigation in connection to alleged supplementary payroll fraud.
Senator McGill is praying the Supreme Court to issue the alternative writ of Prohibition inhibiting, restraining and prohibiting the Liberia Anti-Corruption Commission (LACC) to refrain from all and any further actions regarding an ongoing investigation for a Supplementary Payroll.
Count one of the petition states that the petitioner, Sen. McGill, was appointed and served as the Minister of State for Presidential Affairs pursuant to the Revise Code 12, subsection 2.1 subtitled: “Minister of State for Presidential Affairs’ which expressly states: “The President by and with the advice and consent of the Senate shall appoint an official within the Office of the President, with the title of Minister of State for Presidential Affairs. He shall be a member of the Cabinet and shall serve as the Principal Assistant to the President. He shall serve at the pleasure of the President, and shall perform the following duties.”
a) Follow through and coordinate all decisions of the Chief Executive;
(b)Organize, as the President shall direct, Cabinet Meetings and be responsible for the proper maintenance of all records of such meetings;
(c) Exercise such operational authority, intrinsic to his office, as the President may from time to time direct; and (d) Perform such other duties as may be assigned by the President.
The petitioners are requesting the High Court of the land to take judicial notice of the power and authority of the President and his office as provided hereinabove.
The petitioners are arguing that Ministry of Justice, which is the first respondent represents the Government of Liberia and is the official legal arm and advisor to the government, and by law, ought to be versed in matters of tenantasy constitutional law, or fully knowledgeable of the sanctity of the sovereign office of the President, and the powers and authority appertaining thereto, and ought to, at all times provide legal opinions to all agencies of the Liberian government to refrain from all actions and activities geared at demeaning the sanctity and sanity of the office in an overzealous performance of their duties.
