The Center for Transparency and Accountability in Liberia (CENTAL) is calling on President Joseph Boakai to suspend officials of his government who have failed to declare their assets.
Speaking at a press conference on Friday, August 2, 2024 in Monrovia, CENTAL expressed concern over Boakai’s lack of action against officials failing to declare their assets, incomes and liabilities, as required by law.
CENTAL wants government officials to follow the good examples of President Boakai, Vice President Jeremiah Koung, and few others who have declared their assets.
Last week, the Liberia Anti-Corruption Commission (LACC) revealed that only 322 out of 1,281 public officials have complied with the assets declaration process. But CENTAL’s Executive Director Anderson Miamen emphasized the importance of assets declaration in fostering accountability, calling for the suspension of non-compliant officials.
“If the President must be seen as impartial in dealing with corruption and other accountability issues, he has to punish his officials for violating the Laws of Liberia,” Miamen said.
Meanwhile, the group has at the same time called on former President George M. Weah and his administration’s officials to cooperate with ongoing corruption investigations.
Recently, the LACC indicted former officials of the Weah’s administration including: former Finance Minister Samuel D. Tweah Jr., former Director General of the Financial Intelligence Agency Stanley Ford, former Solicitor General Cllr Nyanti Tuan, amongst others, for alleged corruption involving significant sums of money.
CENTAL has welcomed the move by the LACC, stating that there is no witch-hunt in the ongoing investigation, and both former and current officials of government should submit to the legal process to clear their names if innocent.
Meanwhile, the transparency group has expressed disappointment over former President Weah’s attempts to dismiss allegations against his former officials during a recent press conference.
Weah called on patricians including the Congress for Democratic Change and former government officials to resist any witch-hunt by the Boakai-Koung administration. But Mr. Miamen believes that Weah, who professes to be an ardent supporter of the fight against corruption, should instead encourage those indicted to present themselves before the law to be exonerated.
However, he called for impartiality in Boakai’s anti-corruption efforts, stating that the fight against corruption should not target specific individuals or protect certain groups, citing the importance of a comprehensive approach that does not allow for “sacred cows” or the protection of regime elements.
The organization also wants the Judiciary and Legislature to comply with asset declaration laws, noting troubling reports of limited compliance within these branches. Courtesy: By Sylvester Choloplay
