Liberia: CENTAL Commends President Boakai for Assets Declaration; Encourages Publication

Monrovia  – The Center for Transparency and Accountability in Liberia (CENTAL) has commended President Joseph N. Boakai for taking positive actions geared towards promoting accountability in government including the declaration of his assets and liabilities at the Liberia Anti-corruption Commission (LACC).

On Thursday, February 8, 2024, the Liberian leader declared his assets in keeping with the Code of Conduct for public officials, which mandates all public officials to declare their assets upon taking office. The decision followed a January 28, 2024, Open Letter of CENTAL addressed to President Boakai which joined voices with many others to call on the Liberian leader to lead by example through a timely declaration and publication of his assets, incomes, and liabilities.

In a statement issued in Monrovia, Executive Director, Anderson D. Miamen, Sr. said the decision on the part of President Boakai to declare his assets and the numerous anti-corruption public pronouncements made so far, since his ascendancy to the Liberia presidency are steps in the right direction to promote transparency and accountability across government. However, Miamen has encouraged President Boakai to go a step further and have these assets published. The CENTAL boss noted that, while the law falls short of requiring publication of the declaration, the President would be taking a critical step towards public accountability by publishing his declaration. According to Miamen, secrecy in assets declaration to the LACC serves no useful public purpose as the public is unable to participate in the asset verification process.

Also, CENTAL has welcomed the bold decision of President Boakai to mandate the General Auditing Commission (GAC) to conduct a comprehensive audit of three key government institutions, including the Central Bank of Liberia, the National Security Agency (NSA), and the Executive Protection Service (EPS).

“We are hopeful that the audit of these institutions will be the beginning of more to come. “We want to see audits done more holistically, including all institutions entrusted with public funding, and the reports and recommendations timely and fully implemented,” the statement said.