MONROVIA – The Center for Transparency and Accountability in Liberia (CENTAL) has launched its 2025 State of Corruption Report (SCORE), revealing that while Liberia has made measurable progress in strengthening anti-corruption institutions and enforcing accountability measures, corruption remains deeply entrenched, with 94 percent of Liberians still viewing it as a serious national problem.
By Francis G. Boayue
The report, unveiled Wednesday in Monrovia, presents a mixed assessment of the country’s anti-corruption landscape, highlighting significant institutional reforms alongside persistent weaknesses in enforcement, public service delivery, and governance.
According to the report, the administration of President Joseph Nyuma Boakai has demonstrated increased political commitment to combating corruption through reforms, stricter enforcement of asset declaration requirements, the reconstitution of the Assets Recovery and Property Retrieval Task Force (AREPT), and the operationalization of the Witness Protection Agency. However, CENTAL cautions that these initiatives have yet to translate into consistent accountability across government institutions.
Although the proportion of Liberians who rated corruption as “high” declined from 83 percent in 2024 to 59 percent in 2025, the report notes that when those who rated corruption as “moderate” are included, 94 percent of respondents still consider corruption a serious challenge confronting the country.
The survey also found growing concern about corruption within frontline public institutions. The Liberia National Police remained the institution perceived as most susceptible to corruption, followed by the health sector and the judiciary, while concerns also increased in the education and transportation sectors.
The report further revealed that bribery increased during 2025 after declining for two consecutive years. Thirty-seven percent of respondents admitted paying bribes, up from 26 percent in 2024, with more than half indicating they did so to expedite access to public services.
Despite some improvement in public perception of the government’s commitment to fighting corruption, confidence in key public institutions—including the judiciary, legislature, executive branch, integrity institutions, and religious organizations—declined. The media remained the country’s most trusted institution.
On institutional performance, CENTAL acknowledged significant gains made by Liberia’s accountability institutions.
The General Auditing Commission (GAC) issued several audit reports exposing financial irregularities at major public entities, including the National Port Authority, Liberia Electricity Corporation, Forestry Development Authority, and the Government of Liberia Consolidated Fund Account. However, implementation of audit recommendations remained weak, with only 37 percent of more than 7,000 recommendations reportedly implemented across 62 audited institutions.
Meanwhile, the Liberia Anti-Corruption Commission (LACC) recorded its highest investigative workload since its establishment. According to the report, the Commission received 44 corruption complaints in 2025, completed investigations into 27 cases, secured 12 indictments, and obtained three convictions.
The report also highlighted progress in asset declaration compliance, with approximately 91 percent of targeted public officials across the three branches of government submitting their declarations during the reporting period. The Executive Branch also reportedly suspended and blocked the salaries of hundreds of officials who failed to comply with the Code of Conduct.
CENTAL further praised civil society organizations for sustaining advocacy efforts aimed at promoting transparency, strengthening accountability, and pushing for reforms, including the establishment of a specialized anti-corruption court.
Despite these gains, the report warns that Liberia’s anti-corruption architecture continues to face major challenges, including inadequate funding for integrity institutions, delayed budget disbursements, weak implementation of audit recommendations, judicial delays, low public reporting of corruption, and limited access to anti-corruption services in rural communities.
The report also raises concerns about gender imbalance in leadership across key integrity institutions, where women continue to occupy only a small proportion of senior positions.
CENTAL concludes that while Liberia has established much of the institutional framework required to combat corruption, the country’s greatest challenge remains translating policy commitments into consistent and impartial enforcement.
The organization recommends sustained political commitment across the Executive, Legislature, and Judiciary; adequate funding for integrity institutions; impartial investigation and prosecution regardless of political affiliation; greater transparency in decisions to discontinue corruption cases; the establishment of a specialized anti-corruption court; and stronger collaboration among government, civil society, the media, development partners, and citizens.
Launching the report, the Executive Chairperson of the Liberia Anti-Corruption Commission described the publication as an important contribution to Liberia’s anti-corruption agenda and urged policymakers, public institutions, civil society organizations, and citizens to use its findings as a roadmap for strengthening governance and restoring public confidence.
“The publication of this report is a valuable contribution to Liberia’s anti-corruption efforts, providing reliable data and independent analysis to inform public discourse, evaluate progress, identify challenges, and guide policy reforms,” the LACC Chairperson said.
The Chairperson welcomed the report’s balanced assessment, noting that while it recognizes progress made in strengthening anti-corruption institutions, it also underscores the significant work that remains.
“Although meaningful gains have been achieved through stronger legal frameworks, public education, institutional collaboration, and the dedication of public servants, the fight against corruption remains an ongoing national responsibility that demands sustained commitment from all stakeholders,” the Chairperson emphasized.
Reaffirming the Commission’s commitment to its statutory mandate, the LACC Chairperson said the institution will continue conducting impartial investigations, prosecuting corruption cases, promoting public education, preventing corruption, and enforcing the national asset declaration regime.
The Chairperson also acknowledged the collaboration between the LACC, CENTAL, the Ministry of Justice, the General Auditing Commission, the Financial Intelligence Agency, development partners, and other integrity institutions in strengthening Liberia’s accountability framework.
Calling for greater national ownership of the anti-corruption agenda, the LACC Chairperson urged Liberians to embrace the report’s recommendations.
“It is only through collective action, unwavering political will, and active citizen participation that we can build a Liberia where corruption has no place and public resources are managed solely for the benefit of the people,” the Chairperson said before officially launching the 2025 State of Corruption Report.
