MONROVIA – The Liberia Anti-Corruption Commission (LACC) has announced that it has received close to one hundred asset declaration forms from government officials in compliance with the LACC mandate and deadline.
By Henry Karmo [email protected]
According to Mr. Ernest Hughes, Vice Executive Chairperson of the Liberia Anti-Corruption Commission, officials from various ministries, agencies, and government commissions, including the Legislature, are responding overwhelmingly.
He also cautioned that government officials who are delayed in submitting their asset declarations will face punishment from the LACC through sanctions and prosecution, in accordance with the law that establishes the LACC.
“The LACC has received close to 100 declarations from government officials across ministries and agencies. Government officials are responding overwhelmingly.
The LACC is currently compiling a list of compliant and non-compliant government officials. Starting next week, the LACC will publish listings of compliant and non-compliant government officials.
“LACC will follow a staggered approach and will publish the listings as follows: Ministries, Autonomous Agencies and Commissions, then the Judiciary and Legislature branches, and finally the Executive branch of government.”
“We encourage officials who are away from the country to come to the LACC immediately upon their return to submit their asset declaration. However, this is not an extension of the deadline.”
The Liberia Anti-Corruption Commission (LACC) mandated all outgoing officials, including President George Weah and Vice President Jewel Howard Taylor, to declare their assets by December 12, 2023. This declaration, part of the “Exit Declaration of Assets Notice,” requires a comprehensive list encompassing properties, financial holdings, investments, and other relevant financial interests.
The deadline for government officials to declare assets and other financial information expired on Tuesday, December 12, 2023. However, the LACC acknowledges that several government officials are currently away from the country on official business and have been unable to declare their assets or other financial information.
“Given that Liberia’s current declaration system does not support remote declarations, a declarant must come in person to our offices. We encourage those officials away on official duties to come to LACC and comply immediately upon their return. This is not an extension of the deadline but an opportunity to provide those government officials with an opportunity to comply.”
Section 5.1
The Commission shall have the broad mandate and functions to implement appropriate measures and undertake programs geared towards investigating, prosecuting, combating, and preventing acts of corruption, including educating the public about the ills of corruption and the benefits of its eradication.
Section 5.2
Without limiting the generality of Section 5.1 above, the Commission shall have the following specific functions:
O. To institute and operate the assets declaration and verification regime of the Government of Liberia, pursuant to the Code of Conduct Act of 2014. In the performance of this function, the Commission has the authority to:
i. receive and maintain the declaration of income, assets, and liabilities submitted by public officials;
ii. verify the accuracy of such declarations;
iii. allow or deny access to such declarations upon application to the Commission, subject to the condition that the Commission shall make disclosure of a person’s declaration only where the Commission is satisfied that such disclosure is in the interest of the general public or where such disclosure is mandated/required by a court order;
iv. develop asset declaration guidelines and forms;
v. issue rules for the administration of the asset declaration and verification regime as it deems necessary for the effective implementation of this Act and the Code of Conduct Act of 2014;
vi. Recommend to the Legislature for enactment into law sanction(s) for breach of the asset declaration guideline.
The LACC applauds all government officials complying with this mandate. We encourage government officials who have not done so to file a financial asset disclosure as soon as possible.