IN LIBERIA’S EVER-FRAGILE democracy, institutions meant to protect public interest are often the first casualties in battles of ego, politics, and control. The sudden suspension of Christopher D. Sankolo, Director General of the Liberia Agriculture Commodity Regulatory Authority (LACRA), and his Deputy for Administration and Finance, Mr. Chea B. Garley, by President Joseph Boakai, has left a bitter taste in the mouths of reformists and governance advocates.
WHILE THE PRESIDENT’S June 26 directive — framed as a move toward transparency and probity — may initially appear noble, a closer look at the details reveals a darker, more troubling narrative. Behind this high-profile shake-up lies a bitter internal feud, a well-documented corruption scandal, and a network of political protection that has allowed the alleged perpetrator to remain in office while the reformer is sidelined.
THE VICTIM? NOT just Sankolo. But the credibility of Liberia’s anti-corruption agenda.
WHEN SANKOLO ASSUMED leadership of LACRA, the agency was little more than a hollow institution. With just less than US$100,000 in its coffers, six registered cocoa exporters, and fewer than 3,000 transactions annually, the agency was failing in its core mandate to regulate and boost the nation’s agricultural commodity exports.
FAST FORWARD TO 2025, and LACRA had undergone a metamorphosis: over US$1 million in institutional reserves, 23 licensed exporters, and a record-breaking 35,000 export transactions — a staggering 1,200 percent increase in volume.
UNDER SANKOLO’S LEADERSHIP, LACRA did more than balance books — it began to command respect, both locally and internationally. He implemented strict controls at the Freeport of Monrovia, streamlined export verification procedures, and began enforcing protocols long ignored.
BUT THESE REFORMS did not happen in a vacuum; they directly challenged a well-oiled and deeply rooted system of fraud and smuggling that had thrived under lax oversight.
AT THE HEART of this resistance is Godia Alpha Kortu Gongolee, LACRA’s Deputy Director General for Operations and Technical Services. According to internal investigative reports, leaked staff memos, and testimonies from whistleblowers, Gongolee reportedly orchestrated a sprawling cocoa smuggling scheme within LACRA — facilitating undocumented exports, accepting bribes, and issuing unauthorized shipment approvals.
IN ONE PARTICULARLY egregious case, Gongolee reportedly allowed the shipment of 75 metric tons of cocoa when only 50 metric tons had been officially approved. The exporter, WR Carpenter Inc., allegedly paid US$5,000 in cash directly to Gongolee — bypassing LACRA’s accounting system entirely. When confronted, Gongolee allegedly dismissed the incident with the chilling phrase: “Leave that thing.”
THIS WASN’T A one-off incident. Investigations reveal that containers were cleared without required documentation, receipts were forged during public holidays, and cocoa beans were seized and sold unofficially. Employees who questioned these practices faced threats, intimidation, and forced transfers.
AND YET, GONGOLEE remains in his position. Untouched. Untouched not because the evidence is lacking, but because political protection remains his armor.
JUST A DAY after Sankolo was removed from office, reports began surfacing of Gongolee harassing and intimidating staff. One particularly alarming incident involved Gongolee forcibly seizing the brand-new IFAD Project vehicle — purchased under the Sankolo administration — from Project Coordinator Mr. Philip Torborg, insisting that he should be the one to use it. This, despite Gongolee already using a new Toyota Hilux Pickup procured under the same administration.
MEANWHILE, SOURCES WITHIN LACRA told FPA that Sankolo himself still drives an aging four Runner left by the previous Director General — a vehicle he has reportedly re-sprayed twice since taking office. “The DG has re-sprayed that old Four Runner two times since he took over while buying brand new pickup for Gongolee, buses for the staff and motorbikes,” a LACRA staff member revealed.
FRONTPAGEAFRICA REACHED out to Gongolee for a response regarding the allegations. His reply was terse and dismissive: “I’m not going to respond to anyone, not even the BBC regarding these allegations.”
FOR MORIE NUMAH, repeated calls placed to her mobile phone rang unanswered. She has yet to make any public statement or clarification.
CENTRAL TO THIS entire debacle is the shadowy role of Morie Numah, President Boakai’s long-time secretary. Multiple sources within LACRA and the Executive Mansion claim that Gongolee was personally recommended by Numah to serve as her “eye” within the institution. Far from being a mere liaison, Numah is alleged to have actively interfered with the internal accountability process.
SPECIFICALLY, INSIDERS ACCUSE her of intercepting the final investigative report from the LACRA Board — dated May 6, 2025 — before it could reach President Boakai. THAT REPORT, WHICH outlined in vivid detail Gongolee’s role in systemic smuggling, mismanagement, and manipulation of institutional processes, never received a formal presidential response. If true, this is not merely unethical — it borders on obstruction of justice.
THE QUESTION THAT must be asked is simple: why is a presidential aide allowed to wield such unchecked power over matters of national integrity?
THE GREATEST IRONY of this entire episode is its timeline. Just weeks before his suspension, Director Sankolo stood tall among his peers as President Boakai honored LACRA as the “Best Performing Public Institution” for 2024–2025. This accolade, publicly conferred, was not ceremonial — it was based on verifiable performance metrics.
AND YET, IN a matter of days, that honor was rendered meaningless. Sankolo, once a model of reform, was ordered to turn over all LACRA assets and vacate his office. No explanation beyond the vague need for “investigation.” No mention of the internal sabotage he had been battling for months. No acknowledgement of the report against Gongolee.
THE ANSWER IS painfully obvious: Sankolo’s reforms disrupted too many lucrative arrangements. In taking on Gongolee and the old guard, he rattled a hornet’s nest protected not just by internal allies, but by individuals with proximity to the President himself. In the end, reform was sacrificed on the altar of political loyalty.
THE BROADER iMPLICATIONS of this episode are grave. If Sankolo — a man whose track record was documented, audited, and celebrated — can be so casually discarded, what hope is there for reform-minded public servants across Liberia?
THIS SITUATION SENDS a chilling message that competence is secondary; loyalty is king. Integrity may earn applause, but it does not guarantee protection. Those who expose wrongdoing are punished; those who enable it are promoted — or at the very least, protected.
THIS IS MORE than demoralizing. It is a strategic dismantling of the very values President Boakai campaigned on — transparency, accountability, and reform.
PRESIDENT BOAKAI CANNOT afford to treat this matter as a bureaucratic shuffle. The integrity of his government — and his legacy — is on the line.
IF HE WAS genuinely unaware of the report implicating Gongolee, then he must act now to obtain it and respond publicly. If, however, the report was seen and ignored — or worse, buried with his tacit approval — then Liberia must reckon with the reality that corruption continues to wear a new face in an old system.
THE PRESIDENT MUST demonstrate that no one — not even his closest aides — are beyond scrutiny. He must call for an independent review of the LACRA investigation. He must suspend Gongolee immediately pending the outcome. He must also ensure that the internal whistleblowers and staff who risked their jobs to speak out are protected — not punished.
THE COCOA SECTOR is not just a financial engine — it is a symbol of Liberia’s potential to rise beyond aid dependency. But such potential cannot be realized when regulatory institutions are captured by internal mafias and sabotaged from within.
ALREADY, LIBERIA’S INTERNATIONAL trade partners are raising eyebrows. The European Commission recently reported cocoa export figures from Liberia that far exceed official Central Bank records — an alarming discrepancy that points directly to smuggling and misreporting.
CONFIDENCE IN LIBERIA’S export data is waning. Investors are nervous. And farmers — the backbone of this sector — are once again at risk of being shortchanged by a corrupt elite that thrives in chaos.
THIS MOMENT IS not just about Sankolo or Gongolee. It is a test of President Boakai’s leadership. A test of whether Liberia will continue down the same broken path, or rise to the challenge of true reform.
IF THE PRESIDENT wants to prove that he is different from his predecessors, then he must do what they often refused to do: stand by the reformers, not the rent-seekers.
SANKOLO MAY HAVE been suspended. But the real verdict — on who is right, who is wrong, and who truly stands for accountability — has yet to be delivered. The nation is watching. History is taking notes.
LET THE TRUTH be known. Let justice be done. And let LACRA — and Liberia — finally break free from the grip of power games and political protection.
THE TIME TO act is now.