President Joseph Boakai has issued Executive Order No. 126, establishing the Office of Assets Recovery, aimed at retrieving government properties from former officials over the last six years.
The initiative, according to the President, comes in response to widespread concerns regarding the unlawful acquisition of wealth by some past government officials at the expense of the Liberian people.
“It is paramount that public assets that were illegally obtained and converted to private use be retrieved and returned to the Liberian people, and the perpetrators be brought to justice, in accordance with appropriate laws that provide for confiscation through criminal investigation and legal prosecution,” the President noted.
The Office of Assets Recovery, operating under the Ministry of State for Special Services, will spearhead efforts to identify, trace, and retrieve assets that have been illegally acquired or converted to private use.
The task force, according to the Executive Order, will further collaborate closely with agencies such as the General Services Agency and the Ministry of Justice, as well as all security agencies.
The mandate of the task force includes initiating criminal prosecutions and civil litigation against individuals implicated in asset misappropriation, both domestically and internationally.
Additionally, travel restrictions will be imposed on suspects, and efforts will be made to extradite individuals residing outside Liberia’s jurisdiction, while the Ministry of Finance has been directed to allocate necessary funding for the implementation of the initiative without delay.
Meanwhile, President Boakai will on Thursday, March 7, 2024, lead a high-power government delegation to Abidjan, Cote d’Ivoire, for a one-day State visit, as the President and his Ivorian counterpart, President Alassane Ouattara, will hold discussions regarding a range of issues centered on Liberia-Cote d’Ivoire relations.
The focus, according to an Executive Mansion release, will be on matters related to the Liberia-Cote d’Ivoire Framework Agreement, electricity, agriculture, and regional security, while the visit comes as the West African Subregion is experiencing growing security tension due to terrorist activities and military takeovers.
The President’s itinerary in Cote d’Ivoire will cover visits to establishments such as TRANSCO CSLG and the National Center for Agronomical Research, with the aim of fostering knowledge exchange, skill-sharing, and technological cooperation between the two nations.
The Liberian Leader is also set to participate in the Liberia-Cote d’Ivoire Joint Commission Meeting, which will bring together several high-ranking officials from both governments to review significant issues, including strengthening the longstanding ties of friendship and cooperation.
The Liberia-Cote d’Ivoire Joint Commission Meeting was initiated in 1972 to promote peace, security, and economic integration, free movement of people, exchange of ideas, goods, and services, and form a common front in alleviating some of the many developmental challenges faced by both countries.
Liberia and Cote d’Ivoire share a long history characterized by cohabitation, intermarriages, trade, cultural exchanges, and deep-rooted friendship, before and after that neighboring country’s independence in 1961.
Accompanying the President on his trip are sector-specific government officials, including Foreign Minister, Sarah Beysolow-Nyanti; Finance Minister, Boima S. Kamara; Agriculture Minister, J. Alexander Nuetah; Senior Economic Advisor to the President, Morley Paul Kamara, and Liberia Electricity Managing Director, Monie R. Captan. Other members of the delegation include Acting Chief of Protocol, Antoinette Wolo; Presidential Press Secretary, Kula B.N. Fofana, and Executive Assistant to the President, Morie Yuade Nemah.
In the President’s absence, the Minister of State for Presidential Affairs, Sylvester Grigsby, will chair the Cabinet in close consultation with the Vice president, while the President remains in contact via telephone, as the President has officially informed the Legislature of his departure from the country.
