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Amara Konneh: Liberia Senate attempt to jail finance minister fails | Amara Konneh: Liberia Senate attempt to jail finance minister fails |
(about 4 hours later) | |
Liberia's Supreme Court has stopped the Senate's attempts to jail the country's finance minister after he tried to clamp down on politicians' expenses. | Liberia's Supreme Court has stopped the Senate's attempts to jail the country's finance minister after he tried to clamp down on politicians' expenses. |
London-based Banker Magazine awarded Amara Konneh its African Finance Minister of the Year award in 2014. | London-based Banker Magazine awarded Amara Konneh its African Finance Minister of the Year award in 2014. |
But on Tuesday the Senate voted to jail Mr Konneh for acting beyond his powers by proposing a $1.2m (£800,000) budget cut. | But on Tuesday the Senate voted to jail Mr Konneh for acting beyond his powers by proposing a $1.2m (£800,000) budget cut. |
The Supreme Court ordered a halt on his imprisonment "until further notice". | The Supreme Court ordered a halt on his imprisonment "until further notice". |
Senate leader Armah Jallah told the BBC's Jonathan Paye-Layleh in Monrovia that the Senate had voted unanimously to jail the finance minister because he did not have the powers to reduce their budget. | Senate leader Armah Jallah told the BBC's Jonathan Paye-Layleh in Monrovia that the Senate had voted unanimously to jail the finance minister because he did not have the powers to reduce their budget. |
Analysis: Jonathan Paye-Layleh, BBC News, Monrovia | |
The issue of how much politicians get paid is often the subject of radio talk shows and public debate here in Liberia. | |
The 103 lawmakers in the Senate and the House of Representatives get monthly salaries of $13,000 (£9,000) each. | |
And now there is an extra pressure for scrutiny about that pay. | |
The decline in the country's two main foreign-exchange earners - rubber and iron ore - has cut the country's budget to below $500m, meaning all sectors of the government are coming under pressure to cut their budgets. |
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