Press Statement for Immediate Release

The Center for Transparency and Accountability in Liberia (CENTAL) is gladdened over the submission of anti-graft bills by His Excellency President George M. Weah to the Legislature. This is a step in the right direction. CENTAL believes that, when passed into Law, the Bills would further strengthen Liberia’s legal framework regarding anti-corruption by expanding powers of the Liberia Anti-Corruption Commission (LACC) and ensuring the protection of whistleblowers and witnesses. The bills are key to strengthening the independence of the LACC through granting it direct prosecutorial power and providing protection for would-be reporters/whistleblowers (victims and witnesses) of corruption.

It can be recalled that President Weah recently submitted a number of Bills including: the “proposed Act Restating An Act to Establish the Liberia Anti-Corruption Commission,” “the proposed Whistle Blower Act of 2021,” and the “proposed Act amending of Part X, Section 10 of the Code of Conduct of 2014, to grant full authority to the LACC to compile, verify, maintain, and update a comprehensive asset declaration registry for all Government employees with specific sanctions for non-compliance. CENTAL notes that the efforts of the President are a fulfilment of his 2021 State of the Nation Address in which he informed the Honorable National Legislature that the said legislations would be presented to them for action.

Ladies and gentlemen of the Fourth Estate, while CENTAL applauds the great step taken by the President, we are concerned that no bill was submitted by the President for the creation of a dedicated Corruption and Related Financial Offences Court, or CRIMINAL COURT “F” even though its importance was recently highlighted in the President’s Annual Address. We believe that the judiciary has an important role to play in the fight against corruption and as such the need for the creation of a dedicated and specialized/fast-track court for corruption cases must be addressed. This Court is also very critical considering the backlog of cases on the dockets of existing courts. Therefore, CENTAL urges the President to similarly push for establishment of the Corruption and Related Financial Crimes/Offences Court.

We also call on the Legislature to ensure that these proposed anti-corruption instruments are speedily given due consideration. We note that the Whistle-Blower Bill has been lingering in the Legislature for over four (4) years without any action. Legislations critical to curbing the menace of corruption must be given adequate preference and scrutiny if we must succeed as a country. Thus, we call on the Senate and House of Representatives to prioritize these bills and as well involve all stakeholders including, civil society in processes leading to their passage. It is through stakeholders’ engagement through public hearings and other open and participatory processes that good and citizen-centered laws and policies are made.

Finally, we call on media, civil society, ordinary citizens, and development partners to closely follow and constructively engage with the Legislature for timely passage of these Bills and other instruments critical to strengthening the legal framework for promoting and entrenching the culture of accountability, transparency, and integrity in Liberia.