By Bill W. Cooper
President Joseph Boakai’s 10-day ultimatum for government officials to declare their assets has passed without any significant action or communication from the President or the Liberia Anti-Corruption Commission (LACC), raising skepticism amongst the citizenry.
Some Liberians, including Civil Society Organizations (CSOs) and political pundits, have since observed a conspicuous silence from the government, raising concerns about whether the administration is losing its grip on the fight against corruption.
Corruption has long been a critical issue in Liberia, undermining public trust in government institutions and hindering economic development, leaving the country to consistently ranked low on global corruption indices.
President Boakai, who took office in January 2024, campaigned on a platform of integrity and reform, promising to tackle corruption head-on, a campaign that lured more voters toward him, which led to the defeat of former President George Weah.
But since he took office in January of 2024, the majority of President Boakai’s officials have yet to declare their assets and liabilities in keeping with law, leaving him with no option but to issue a 10-day ultimatum for all government officials to declare their assets and liabilities to the LACC.
Prior to his ultimatum, the LACC revealed alarming statistics on asset declaration compliance, with only 26.5 percent of officials across the three branches of government been in full compliance with the requirements.
The commission, through its Chairperson, Alexandra Zoe then highlighted that some stringent measures, including suspension and withholding of salaries, are being considered for non-compliant officials.
Speaking during a press conference last year, Cllr. Zoe also stated that Asset Declaration process, which began on May 2, 2024, with a deadline set for July 31st, 2024 required all appointed, elected, and selected public officials to declare their assets, incomes, and liabilities as per the National Code of Conduct and LACC regulations.
This, she narrated that the primary purpose of such exercise is to prevent and detect illicit enrichment, conflicts of interest, and other forms of corruption across all government’s spending entities.
She then reiterated the LACC’s commitment to enforcing compliance, and added, “We are recommending stringent measures ranging from suspension to withholding of salaries for officials who fail to declare their assets.”
With the President directive, which aimed at combating corruption within the ranks of public service, being expired, many citizens are questioning the commitment of the Boakai administration to uphold its anti-corruption promises.
Even though President Boakai administration’s commitment to transparency was seen as a necessary step to restore faith in government and attract foreign investment during its early stages, but the recent inaction following the asset declaration ultimatum is poised to undermine the country’s corruption fight.
Meanwhile, as the deadline for asset declarations came and went, some Liberians have taken to their Facebook to express their disappointment and frustration, questioning whether President Boakai’s administration was serious about its anti-corruption agenda.
Sarah Johnson, in her post said, “I thought we were finally going to see some accountability upon President Boakai taking office, but now it feels like the same old story. If they can’t even enforce a simple asset declaration, how can we trust them to fight corruption?”
“The silence from the presidency and the LACC is deafening as such, we demand accountability and transparency from our President and his officials. The fight against corruption cannot be a mere slogan; it must be backed by action,” she added.
Another Facebook user, Patrick Nyuma argued that the LACC, whose role is to lead the fight against corruption, lack of response and action against non-compliant officials also raises questions about its effectiveness and independence.
He asserted, “The LACC has a crucial role to play in ensuring that public officials are held accountable, and if they fail to act, it sends a message that corruption is tolerated and that there are no consequences for noncompliance.”
While Prince Koinah, in his Facebook post also indicated, “If President Boakai wants to be taken seriously in his fight against corruption, he needs to demonstrate that he is willing to hold officials accountable.”
“But failure to do so could lead to a loss of support and legitimacy for his government because accountability should not be optional; it should be mandatory as such, we need to see real change, not just empty promises. Our future depends on it,” he noted.
