Monrovia, Liberia – The investigation into the ongoing network outages in southeast Liberia has been put on hold by the House of Representatives’ Ad Hoc Committee on Telecommunications after Orange Liberia CEO Jean Marius Yao finally made an appearance before lawmakers and expressed regret for missing earlier meetings.
The committee, which is led by Representative Ivar Jones of Margibi County District number 2, is looking into serious connection problems that have interfered with local everyday life and business operations. Legislators became more angry with Yao after he failed to appear before the committee twice, to the point where they rejected the company proxy and demanded his personal attendance. Yao spoke to the committee on Monday, February 24, apologizing for skipping earlier sessions and providing documentation to support his absence.
“Honorable Chair, I want to begin by expressing my regret for missing the last session. I was actually abroad for a number of reasons. “The fact that I took the plane when I was abroad serves as proof. You received a communication with my luggage’s receipt and boarding permit. Here is the proof I have. I therefore very that I was unable to attend previous session” Yao said.
Lawmakers, especially Representative Anthony Williams of Maryland County District number 2 and Representative Austin Taylor of Maryland County District number 3, who have been outspoken about the effects of erratic telecommunications services on their people, were angry with his absence.
Yao insisted that, unless he was overseas, he had always attended meetings and had never purposefully disregarded legislative invitations. “We haven’t declined to go to the meeting. I’ve been here for four years, but you’re claiming it’s been eight years, As far as I’m concerned, unless I was abroad, I attended to whenever I was asked to,” he added.
He said that although he had not personally come before the committee before, he had always been represented. “I don’t recall going before the committee. As previously said, I attend if I am in the nation, unless I am abroad. Indeed, I was once represented by the General Secretary,” Yao said.
Yao revealed that his father’s death was a contributing factor in his absence. “As previously said, I was abroad for a number of reasons. My father passed away. I was abroad for that reason. The burial hasn’t happened yet,” he disclosed.
After Yao apologized, Representative Taylor submitted a motion for forgiveness, which was approved by the committee. Legislators, however, decided to move the hearing to Friday, February 28, 2025, in order to give themselves more time to examine the huge quantity of evidence that the country provided against Orange Liberia.
The Ministry of Post and Telecommunications, the Liberia Telecommunications Authority (LTA), and Lonestar Cell MTN are all included in the probe, which goes beyond Orange Liberia. To stop more interruptions to communication services in southeast Liberia, lawmakers are advocating for increased responsibility in the industry. Within two weeks, the Ad Hoc Committee is supposed to report its conclusions to the entire House of Representatives.
Photo credit: HoR
