The
embattled
speaker
of
Liberia’s
House of
Representatives,
Edwin
Snowe,
resigned
Thursday,
nearly a
month
after he
was
ousted
by a
majority
renegade
members
of the
House.
But a
Supreme
Court
ruling
last
month
said the
speaker’s
removal
was
illegal
and
unconstitutional.
Speaker
Snowe
said he
resigned
to
uphold
the rule
of law.
“As
you are
aware,
on the
29th
of
January,
the
Supreme
Court
ruled
that the
members
of the
House of
Representatives
meeting
in
Virginia
[Liberia]
were
meeting
there
illegally
and that
it was
unconstitutional.
And I
feel
that as
head of
the
first
branch
of
government
that
should
be
making
laws
should
not be
disrespecting
the
Supreme
Court
like the
president
and
other
members
are
doing.
So we
did what
was
prudent
to us to
have
stepped
down and
allow
them to
do what
they
want to
do,” he
said.
Snowe
rejected
claims
that he
was
forced
to
resign
because
a
majority
of the
members
of the
House of
Representatives
no
longer
had
confidence
in him,
including
the few
that had
supported
him from
the
onset.
“Well,
James, I
think it
is the
other
way
around
now.
They no
longer
enjoy my
confidence,
and what
was
prudent
to do
was to
leave
them
alone.
But
again
like I
said, it
was not
just a
matter
of being
speaker.
I would
have
gone
there,
and of
course
there
are
issues
there
that
need to
be
challenged.
For
example,
it is
clear
that the
executive
branch
of
government
spent at
least
$5,000 (U.S)
on each
lawmaker
to sign
the
resolution
to have
us
removed
from
office.
But we
felt
that
going
there
for any
reason,
contrary
to the
opinion
of the
Supreme
Court,
would be
a defeat
to our
judicial
system,”
Snowe
said.
The
former
speaker
said he
had
proof
that
some
members
of the
House of
Representatives
received
money
from the
executive
branch
to vote
him out
of
office.
“I
will
take
this
time to
challenge,
and I
repeat,
I take
this
time to
challenge
the
executive
to come
clean
and
conduct
an
independent
investigation
into the
bribery
allegations.
Let the
world
see how
clean
they
are, if
they are
clean.
There
are
documents
available
signed
by
Richard
Saah
Gbollie,
the
representative
from
Margibi
County
who one
time
served
as
deputy
director
of
police,
Samuel
Bondo
[Bong
County],
and he
signed
the
document
admitting
that he
was
given
$5,000
(U.S.)
to have
the
speaker
removed,”
he said.
Snowe
also
named
Representative
Kettehkumehn
Murray
of
admitting
to
receiving
$5,000
(U.S.)
each to
vote in
favor of
a
resolution
to oust
him.
Snowe
rejected
the
suggestion
that he
stepped
down
because
he was
being
investigated
for
corruption.
“Then we
are
putting
the case
before
the
fact. A
man is
innocent
until
proven
guilty,”
he said.
“And I’m
committed
to the
due
process
of law.
Whenever
I’m
called
to court
and I
will
answer
the
charges,
and if
I’m
found
guilty,
the
court
should
take its
course.”
Snowe
said he
will not
join the
rest of
the
lawmakers
who have
been
meeting
in
Virginia
outside
the
capital,
Monrovia,
until
the
necessary
constitutional
provisions
are
satisfied
that
would
give
legal
backing
for the
legislature
to meet
in
Virginia.
“I’m
going to
be
holding
a
consultative
meeting
this
weekend,
and if
my
people
so
desire
that I
must go
to
Virginia
to do
their
work,
then I
will
have to
make a
personal
decision,
and my
decision
will be
to live
up to
the rule
of law.
If they
agree
with me,
then we
will
stay on
the side
of the
rule of
law, and
if there
is any
action
taken by
the
lawmakers
meeting
in
Virginia,
the
Supreme
Court
will now
have to
come in
again,”
Snowe
said