LIBERIAN SENATE SUSPENDS PRESIDENT PRO TEMPORE FOR

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 MONROVIA 000619

SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: DECL: 08/11/2018
TAGS: PGOV PREL PHUM ECON EAID LI
SUBJECT: LIBERIAN SENATE SUSPENDS PRESIDENT PRO TEMPORE FOR
SIX MONTHS

Classified By: CDA Brooks Robinson for reasons 1.4 B and D.


1. (C) SUMMARY. President Pro Tempore of the Senate Isaac
Nyenabo was suspended for six months by a simple majority
motion, after a resolution calling for his removal from
office failed to get the necessary two-thirds vote. He is
accused of allowing the Senate to be a puppet of the
Executive Branch. Nyenabo argues that his close relationship
with President Sirleaf has allowed both the Senate and the
Executive Branch to better serve the Liberian people and that
Charles Taylor's supporters are attempting to remove him from
power for their own political agenda. Nyenabo has vowed to
challenge his suspension on the grounds that there is no
provision for suspensions in either the Constitution or
Liberia's Senate Standing Rules. Even if he is successful in
getting his suspension annulled, Nyenabo will still face an
uphill battle regaining the confidence of his colleagues and
his ability to lead after such a censure. END SUMMARY.


2. (U) On August 5, members of the Liberian Senate approved a
motion to suspend President Pro Tempore Isaac Nyenabo (Grand
Gedeh County - National Democratic Party of Liberia) for six
months for "poor leadership." An earlier petition to remove
him from office failed to get the required two-thirds vote
(it received 17 out of 30 votes),so its authors decided to
pursue the suspension as an alternative. During his
suspension, Nyenabo will continue to serve as a Senator, but
Gloria Musu Scott, Chairperson of the Senate Committee on the
Executive, is expected to conduct the affairs of the Senate
in consultation with Vice President Joseph Boakai (in his
capacity as President of the Senate).


3. (SBU) Senator Lahai Lasannah (Bomi County - National
Democratic Party of Liberia) drafted the resolution calling
for the removal of Nyenabo for "administrative inadequacies"
and "bringing the integrity and credibility of the Senate
into question and impugning its moral rectitude." The
toughly-worded resolution labeled Nyenabo as a "pathological
liar." Lasannah has consistently accused Nyenabo of allowing
the Senate to be an extension of the Executive Branch and not
an independent body providing real checks and balances.
Lasannah told PolAsst that he and his colleagues are so
dissatisfied with Nyenabo's lack of leadership that they will
seek to remove him from office again after he serves his
six-month suspension.


4. (C) President Sirleaf, in an attempt to intervene and
avert the removal of Nyenabo, called all members of the
Senate to her office July 31 in a bid to convince them not to
vote him out. The President's Unity Party called upon its
members to vote against the resolution as well. Unity Party
Secretary General and Assistant Foreign Minister for
Afro-Asian Affairs Henry B. Fahnbulleh told PolAsst August 5
that the party will take action against its members who
signed the resolution (particularly Theodore Momo and Daniel
Naatehn who are both from Gbarpolu County).


5. (C) Allegations of corruption are already circulating
surrounding Nyenabo's suspension. Senator Abel Massaley told
PolAsst July 31 that Lasannah wanted to remove Nyenabo
because he failed to share a $50,000 "inducement" Defense
Minister Brownie Samukai sent over to have the Senate pass
the Ministry of Defense's budget. Senator Clarice Jah told
PolAsst July 31 that Minister Samukai had offered her an
envelope containing $400 in exchange for removing her name
from the petition to remove Nyenabo. Jah told PolAsst she
refused Samukai's offer because she seriously disapproved of
Nyenabo's lack of leadership and wanted him out as President
Pro Tempore. Jah confirmed, however, that other unnamed
Senators accepted the Minister's deal. In the end, the
petitioners lost three signatures (20 down to 17),which cost
them the two-thirds vote necessary to remove Nyenabo. (Note:
If found valid, the motion for a six-month suspension
required only a simple majority to pass. See next paragraph.)


6. (C) Senator Nyenabo told Charge August 11 that Charles
Taylor's supporters were attempting to remove him because of
his close working relationship with President Sirleaf. He
argued that his close personal relationship with Sirleaf has
helped both the Senate and the Executive Branch serve the
Liberian people better. Nyenabo said he would challenge the
validity of the suspension because the Liberian Senate
Standing Rules make no provision for suspending a sitting
President Pro Tempore. He also said that the suspension
"violated" Articles 47, 49, 62, and 71 of the Liberian
Constitution. (COMMENT: Those articles deal with the removal
of the Pro Tempore (not suspension),removal of the Speaker
of the House, impeachment of the President or Vice President,
and impeachment of the Chief Justice, respectively. Our
reading of the Constitution leads us to believe that the
suspension is not violating any of those provisions. The

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issue of suspension is simply not addressed at all in them.
END COMMENT.)

COMMENT


7. (C) Nyenabo will challenge his suspension and he may
ultimately win, but he will still face an uphill battle
regaining the confidence of his colleagues and his ability to
lead after such a damaging censure. Ongoing problems with
leadership and ethics in the Legislature make the case for
continued USAID legislative support and a stronger emphasis
on ethics through House Democracy Assistance Commission
training.
ROBINSON