Monrovia – It seems the recent BBC interview in which the President’s critics said he didn’t perform well especially as it relates to the portion that has to do with assets declaration, sparked some actions within the government.
Report by Bettie K. Johnson-Mbayo, [email protected]
In the BBC interview aired on Tuesday, February 19, President Weah defended his refusal to publicly disclose his assets, saying, “That’s my privacy, you understand. I got kids to protect. I have my family to protect. So, I gave them access to all my banks… they have to now protect me.”
When pressed on the issue of why most of his ministers had not declared their assets, the Liberian leader responded, “Most of them declared and I hope that they all will declare.”
Asked by the BBC reporter if he would make his ministers declare if they don’t declare, the President stated, “To make them declare? No, that means… I informed them that they need to declare because it’s prudent to do so. They know that there’s law…we must abide by the law.”
McGill-Verdier Letters on Social Media
Following the airing of this interview with the President, last week official communications from two senior government officials — Cllr. James Verdier and Mr. Nathaniel McGill — made rounds on the internet showing some actions as it relates to assets declaration and related things.
Specifically, in the head of Liberia’s Anti-Corruption Commission’s response to the Minister of State for Presidential Affairs, Cllr. Verdier told Min. McGill that he was attaching the list of those from the Executive Branch of Government, who have complied with the law on declaring assets before assuming office.
Asset Declarants & Non-declarants
Of 549 officials in the Executive, who are considered as “high risk”, only 299 (54.4%) have declared while 45.5% (250) have “defied and refused to declare their assets.”
Notable among those who have “refused” to declare their assets as the law requires is the Executive Governor of the Central Bank of Liberia, Mr. Nathaniel R. Patray. The LACC’s listing on non-declarant shows that Governor Patray was appointed on July 4, 2018.
Also, Mr. Dee Maxwell Kemayan, Sr., Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary and Permanent Representative of the Republic of Liberia to the United Nations with accreditation to Cuba, J. Emmanuel Nuquay, Director General, Liberia Civil Aviation Authority were appointed on February 5, 2018.
Others include J. Gabriel Nyenkan, Head of the Secretariat Liberia Extractive Industry Transparency Initiative appointed March 5, 2018.
Ninety-three officials of the Ministry of Internal Affairs did not declare making it the highest followed by 13 officials of the Ministry of Justice and Lofa County Community College, nine officials of the National Social Security Corporation, John F. Kennedy Medical Center, including its Director General, Dr. Jerry Brown.
At the same time, of the 299 declarants, 174 have presidential dispensation attached, that is, they declared following President Weah’s mandate.
While seven has “incomplete” including Samora Wolokolie, Deputy Minister for Fiscal Affairs, who was appointed February 5, 2018, and subsequently declared August 20, 2018.
Background
Last November 2018, Cllr. Verdier told a news conference that about 80 percent of officials within the Executive Branch had failed to declare their assets despite continued engagement to ensure that they do so in line with the law. Verdier, who is no longer in the position as his tenured expired few weeks ago, said at the time that only 92 of the 549 public officials within the Executive Branch of government have declared their assets. “All officials of the Executive Branch, who are required to file asset declarations, but have failed to do so should be reprimanded and or suspended for one month without pay,” Cllr. Verdier had suggested to the President.
According to Verdier, Part 15.1 on Sanctions for Infringement of the National Code of Conduct (CoC) provides that sanctions for any breach of the CoC shall be those prescribed by the Standing Orders of the Civil Service or any other law governing the public service.
Corruption Watchdogs’ Assessment on Liberia
According to the global anti-corruption organization Transparency International (TI), Liberia ranks 122/180 in its position relative to other countries and ranks 31 in the perception of public sector corruption on a scale of 100 being clean and 0 being highly corrupt.
It can be recalled that the Center for Transparency and Accountability in Liberia (CENTAL) said asset declaration demonstrates concrete commitment, and political will to set the necessary condition for a successful fight against corruption in the country.
CENTAL noted that continuous violation of the CoC does not augur well for the reputation of the government, and its professed desire to address graft, arguably the biggest impediment to the success of the ‘pro-poor agenda.’
Meanwhile, CENTAL has called on LACC’s authorities to timely, independently verify and publish all declared assets, income, and liabilities, including those of the President.
Asset Declaration Law
The Government of Liberia printed into handbill on June 20, 2014, “An Act of Legislature Prescribing a National Code of Conduct for All Public Officials and Employees of the Government of The Republic of Liberia” in line with the 1986 Constitutional requirement to curb certain vices which are inimical to the economic and social wellbeing of our common patrimony.
Specifically, Article 90 a) & b) of the Constitution highlight those vices while article 90 c) quoted below echoes the antidote to eradicating them: Article 90 c) “The Legislature shall, in pursuance of the above provision, prescribe a Code of Conduct for all public officials and employees, stipulating the acts which constitute conflict of interest or are against public policy, and the penalties for violation thereof.”
The legislation of a national code of conduct after 28 years, since the coming into force of the Liberian constitution, finally created a legal framework through which the conducts of public officials could be monitored, examined and punished in relation to the use and management of public resources. In Part 10, of the Code of Conduct, it is required that every Public Official and Employee of government involved in making decisions affecting contracting, tendering or procurement and issuance of licenses of various types sign performance or financial bonds and in addition declare his or her income, assets and liabilities prior to taking office and thereafter, at the end of every three years on promotion or progression from one level to another; upon transfer to another public office; and upon retirement resignation.