Chairman of the Liberia Anti- Corruption Commission (LACC), Cllr. James Verdier
Monrovia – The Chairman of the Liberia Anti- Corruption Commission (LACC), Mr. James Verdier, has expressed regrets over the slow pace of the LACC’s allotment disbursement by the Ministry of Finance and Development Planning (MFDP).
Report by Bettie K. Johnson-Mbayo, [email protected]
Cllr. Verdier, at a recent press conference, said it is frustrating how the LACC, whose responsibility is to investigate individuals caught in alleged corrupt acts in Liberia, will have to run after the MFDP monthly for its budgetary allocation.
As mandated by law, the LACC should receive its allocation – salaries and operational funds, quarterly — every three months.
According to Cllr Verdier, running after the nation’s financial house exposes the LACC to scorn and reduces its esteem.
“The LACC had to operate in distress while she waited for more than eight months beginning October 2017 to receive operational funds. This definitely reduces the esteem and integrity of any institution and undermines its autonomy and independence,” he stated.
He continued, “This should not be allowed to happen, not only to the LACC, but to any and all institutions categorized as integrity institutions.”
The LACC head recommended that officials of anti-graft institutions should be made to exercise their mandates without any apprehension of losing their jobs less be worried about their budgetary allocations.
“They should pursue their mandates fully supported and respected by the heads of government. Their loyalty to the government and people of Liberia should be primary rather than to the influence and control of any one individual or heads of the branches of government,” he stressed.
According to him, it undermines all of the gains that the country has made in matching the universal best practices relating to good, open and democratic governance.
Cllr. Verdier also used the occasion to indirectly speak to his boss, President George Weah, as it regards the ongoing debates on abolition of some tenured positions, including his LACC position.
The President, few weeks ago sent a bill to the Legislature calling for the cancellation/repeal of all tenured positions, except for few, including the Central Bank of Liberia (CBL), National Elections Commission (NEC) and the General Auditing Commission (GAC).
“The security of tenure for certain targeted governance institutions are not only dictated by domestic legislations, they are also required by international conventions that Liberia has signed and acceded to,” Cllr. Verdier stated.
He didn’t also seem pleased with the 54th Legislature on how they have recently “expeditiously passed into law several bills.” He disclosed how two bills granting protection to witnesses and protecting reporting persons/whistle blowers continue to languish and decay in the Legislature since they were presented sometime in 2017.
“These two bills, when passed into law, will establish a program to protect and provide incentives for witnesses and reporting persons commonly called whistleblowers in criminal cases especially cases involving economic crimes and corruption.
“We therefore call on the President of Liberia to take interest in the passage of these bills and to use his good offices to get the Speaker of the House of Representatives to put these bills before plenary of the House for its consideration as soon as possible.
“We also call on you, our friends and partners in the media, to join this campaign to remind the lawmakers to pass into law, the draft bills for the protection of witnesses and whistleblowers,” he stated.