By Laurina B Lormia
(Cub-Reporter)
The Center for Transparency and Accountability in Liberia (CENTAL) is calling on President Joseph Boakai to suspend, with immediate effect, the Director General of the Financial Intelligence Agency (FIA), Stanley Ford, over his involvement in a corruption saga.
CENTAL also stated that other employees that have been implicated in the corruption allegation should be suspended, calling on the Liberia Anti-corruption Commission (LACC) to complete its ongoing investigation into the matter, as well as provide regular updates to the public.
Addressing a press conference yesterday, CENTAL Executive Director, Anderson Miamen, said they have reliably learned that Ford is undergoing investigation by the LACC, which he said is welcome, but said he cannot be heading an integrity institution while facing corruption allegations.
“Given the gravity of this corruption scandal and its implications for the work and reputation of FIA, and by extension the country’s integrity sector, we strongly recommend an administrative sanction, pending the outcome of the ongoing investigation,” he noted.
According to him, the FIA, which has a mandate to fight against money laundering and illicit financing crime, cannot be at the center of a corruption allegation and even more egregious incidents, something he said needs timely and appropriate actions from the leadership of the country.
He stressed, “So, President Boakai must act now and do so now if stakeholders must have the required level of confidence in, and continue to do business with, the Financial Intelligence Agency of Liberia.”
“We urge institutions and individuals leading anti-corruption efforts to set very high standards for others to follow, both in and out of government. The latest incident at FIA does not only damage the entity’s reputation, but affects the morale of staff who are working diligently and sometimes sacrifice to perform their assigned responsibilities,” Miamen added.