By Precious D. Freeman
The Center for Transparency and Accountability in Liberia (CENTAL) is urging President George Weah to immediately suspend LISGIS officials involved in the financial malpractices pending the outcome of the LACC’s report.
Speaking yesterday at a press conference, the Executive Director for CENTAL, Anderson Miamen stated that the President should stand on the side of the Constitution and the Liberian people by demonstrating zero tolerance for corruption and bad governance in his administration.
According to him, the President must ensure to protect Mr. Alex G. Williams who from many indications appears to be the whistleblower in this matter.
“If the battle of corruption must be won, persons who divulge such information deserve protection by the state, especially so when legal instruments to guarantee their full protection have already been proposed by the Executive,” he said.
He stated that the President must not turn blind eyes to these happenings in an attempt to protect his officials and to create the impression that the government is corruption-free.
Mr. Miamen added that Liberia can only be taken seriously if anti-corruption measures are scrupulously enforced and the fight against corruption given top priority as a crucial pillar of government’s development agenda.
He explained that the latest United States’ Government Human Rights Reports pointing to impunity for corruption in government and weak enforcement of anti-corruption laws and policies, the need for timely and concrete actions from the Liberian Government against corruption cannot be over-emphasized.
“We entreat all public officials to denounce corruption and act with integrity, and also the President should show genuine political will and commitment in the fight against corruption as the public is yet to see much from him in this regard,” he added.
He intoned that on March 30, 2022, FrontPage Africa reported the alleged financial malpractice at LISGIS, under the headline: “Corruption Gallore at LISGIS” and that the paper revealed that out of 1.8 million United States dollars received by LISGIS from the government of Liberia as share of budget to conduct the delayed national housing and population Census, only 700,000 has been transferred by LISGIS to the Census account which is been managed by the United Nations Population Fund (UNPF).
He added that appearing on April 9 and 10, 2022 editions of the Spoon Talk on Spoon 107.5 FM, the Census Coordinator and Deputy Director General for Statistics and Data processing at LISGIS, Mr. Alex G. Williams confirmed the alleged actions and further implicated the management of LISGIS in the scandal characterized by irregular payments that are at odds with the Liberian laws.
Mr. Miamen intoned that Mr. Williams disclosed that the corruption is the main reason why Liberians have not substantially fulfilled its undertaking to contribute to the Census cost, and that Census cannot be held until such contribution is made.