Employees of the Liberia News Agency (LINA) have raised serious concerns over the alleged mismanagement of more than US$600,000 allocated to the institution, demanding an independent audit and the direct intervention of President Joseph Nyuma Boakai.
The workers claim that during Fiscal Years 2025 and 2026, under the supervision of Information Minister Jerolinminick Piah, LINA was budgeted to receive approximately US$283,000 each year. However, they allege that despite these allocations, the agency has seen no meaningful improvement in its operations or staff welfare.
According to the employees, the situation at LINA has continued to deteriorate. Reporters complain of unpaid or delayed salaries, the absence of essential working tools, and the lack of basic operational support. Many say they are forced to rely on their personal mobile phones and private internet connections to cover official government assignments.
In response, LINA staff have staged sustained protests at the Ministry of Information, Cultural Affairs and Tourism (MICAT), demanding that Minister Piah provide a transparent account of how the allocated funds were utilized. The employees argue that LINA was established by law as an autonomous institution and should therefore manage its own budget, rather than operate as a department under ministerial control.
Workers further allege that more than US$350,000 of LINA’s budget remains under the direct control of the information minister. They have formally called on the General Auditing Commission (GAC) to conduct a comprehensive audit of the agency’s finances to determine how the funds were disbursed.
While the ministry has reportedly stated that the money was spent on programs, LINA employees have dismissed the explanation, pointing to what they describe as empty offices, the absence of equipment, and a non-functional website as evidence that the funds were not used to strengthen the agency.
With no resolution in sight, the aggrieved workers are now appealing directly to President Boakai to intervene. As public concern grows, many Liberians continue to raise a pressing question: what happened to the more than US$600,000 allocated to the Liberia News Agency?
