By Bill W. Cooper
The Liberia Anti-Corruption Commission (LACC) has commenced a consultative meeting with partners, including the Liberia Revenue Authority (LRA), Liberia Business Registry (LBR), amongst others to kick start the Asset Declaration Verification Process.
The meeting, which started yesterday, November 19, 2024, is also aimed to strengthen inter-agency collaboration in ensuring transparency and accountability across public offices.
The verification process will involve a thorough review of asset declarations, cross-checking information with records from partner institutions, conducting field assessments, and analyzing financial activities.
Also, findings will be documented, and any violations will be addressed in accordance with the New LACC Act of 2022.
During the start of the meeting, LACC’s Acting Executive Director, Mr. James K. Kingsley, highlighted the importance of a unified approach, and emphasized, “Accurate verification of declared assets requires cooperation among institutions to enhance public trust.”
Earlier providing an overview of the initiative, the Executive Assistant & Program Manager to the Office of the Executive Chairperson of the LACC, Ms. Vivian S. Akoto announced that the process will target 175 public officials from both past and present administrations.
She asserted, “This process is critical to fostering integrity in public service. Discrepancies found during verification will be publicly disclosed, and any false declarations will be turned over to the Monitoring and Investigation Division for further action.”
Ms. Akoto also confirmed that the verification exercise will run from November 25, 2024, to January 31, 2025, and will be initially funded by the LACC through the Government of Liberia.
Also speaking, the Assistant Commissioner for the Professional Ethics Division at the LRA, Mr. Sumo Kalaplee commended the LACC for the initiative and shared LRA’s ongoing efforts to enhance accountability within the institution.
“We have implemented policies requiring all employees to declare their assets and will appreciate that our declarations are verified by the LACC,” he noted added.
Meanwhile, the consultative meeting concluded with a unified commitment to ensuring the success of the verification process.
By promoting accountability and upholding ethical standards, the LACC and its partners are working to restore public trust and strengthen governance in Liberia.
Collaborative efforts will include financial reviews, validation of property and business ownership, and cross-referencing of records with relevant agencies, such as the Liberia Land Authority and the Ministry of Transport.
