By Grace Q. Bryant
Members of the 55th Legislature of the House of Representatives have voted to declare and publish their assets next month, consistent with the constitutional mandate to declare their assets.
The agreement was reached on Tuesday, January 18, 2024, during the 3rd day sitting of the 1st session of the House of Representatives.
Article 90(c) of the 1986 Constitution of the Republic of Liberia mandates lawmakers/public figures to declare their assets upon ascending to State power. In line with this, the House, through a unanimous vote, agreed to declare and publish their assets hopefully next month.
The vote came following a motion by Nimba County District 7 Representative, Musa Hassan Bility, that all lawmakers should publicly declare their assets and publish it in hand bills for public consumption within a period as of day of vote.
Montserrado County District 5 Representative, Priscilla Cooper, embraced the need for timely assets declaration for all public officials, and noted that it is necessary for all new lawmakers who have significant investment outside of politics, and are skeptical about being accused by the public of using their offices to gain wealth in a few years, to come to embrace the idea because it will save them from uncomfortable criticisms.
The lawmaker rallied her colleagues to declare their assets in the soonest possible time, to which they concurred and concluded to do a month from now.
The use of ‘asset declaration/wealth disclosure’ is a powerful preventive tool to help public officials avoid unwarranted accusations of conflicts of interest and illicit wealth accumulation.
It is also used to increase the confidence level of the general public in their leaders and those occupying positions that are prone to conflict of interest and the use of discretionary power.
In fulfillment of the Article 90(c) of the 1986 Constitution of the Republic of Liberia, the June 20, 2014, “Act of Legislature Prescribing a National Code of Conduct for All Public Officials and Employees of The Government of The Republic of Liberia” was enacted.
The National Code of Conduct, in Part 10, provides for the Declaration and Registration of Personal Interests, Assets, and Performance/Financial Bonds by all public officials and employees of the government. The NCoC specifically states under 10.2 Repository and Contents of Declaration, inter alia, “…All such declarations shall be accessible to both the public employer and the general public upon court order, as well as to the Liberia Anti-Corruption Commission (LACC) for investigative purposes.”
Hence, the ongoing Asset Declaration and Verification exercises initiated by the LACC are in fulfillment of its constitutional duties to ensure accountability and transparency in public governance.
Asset declaration by public officials and employees of the government forms the basis for engaging with declarants. Whereas the verification process is a process of corroborating items listed against actuality. Indications of the preponderance of discrepancies and cloudiness of declarations may warrant administrative punishment or gravitate to full-scale investigation and subsequent prosecution, as the case may be, under Part 10.3 Sanctions for False Declaration of the NCoC and PART IV- Powers of The Commission of the LACC Act.
Public officials’ declarations have become a part of the global standard that is embodied in the United Nations Convention against Corruption.
In Liberia, Assets Declaration and Verification are considered key components in the fight against corruption.
These processes are preventive tools that are useful in helping to minimize corruption and to develop a basis by which officials acquiring wealth can have their income monitored against illicit wealth accumulation.
The LACC was established by an Act of Legislature on August 28, 2008, with the mandate to investigate and prosecute acts of corruption, as well as educate the public about the ills of corruption and the benefits of its eradication.
