Over 73% of Public Officials Fail to Declare Assets.

The staggering figure indicating non-compliance undermines the Boakai regime’s commitment to fighting corruption.

By Kruah Thompson

Monrovia, September 6, 2024/ The Liberia Anti-Corruption Commission (LACC) has reported that 73.5% of 1,900 public officials have not declared their assets and liabilities, as Article 91 of the Liberian Constitution requires.

Article 91 mandates that high-ranking public officials, including the President, Vice President, members of the Legislature, and other officials designated by law, must declare their assets and liabilities to promote transparency and prevent conflicts of interest, corruption, and abuse of power.

At a press conference on Thursday, September 5, 2024, LACC Executive Chairperson Cllr. Alexandra Zoe revealed that, according to their regulations, they identified 1,900 government employees and officials required to declare their assets. However, as of July 31, 2024, only 26.5% were compliant, leaving 73.5% non-compliant.

“In the Legislative branch, of the 73 elected Representatives, only 26 were compliant, while 47 were not. Among the 56 House of Representatives administrative staff, only one complied,” Zoe noted, adding that in the Senate, out of 30 elected Senators, only 12 were compliant, and none of the 44 identified administrative staff complied.

Additionally, she said that of the 1,281 appointed officials required to declare their assets in the Executive Branch, only 322 fully complied, while 959 were non-compliant. Additionally, 84 asset declarations were received from non-appointed government employees, bringing the total from the Executive Branch to 406.

“In the Judiciary, of the 333 required to declare, only 29 officials complied, including 7 judges and 21 administrative staff, while 305 were non-compliant.”

However, she added that after the July 31 deadline, the LACC received two additional declarations from the House of Representatives, three from the Senate (one Senator and two administrative staff), and 245 more from the Executive Branch, primarily local government officials. The Judiciary submitted 287 declarations post-deadline.

Zoe also highlighted that other government employees, including comptrollers, procurement officers, directors, managers, and those involved in tendering, contracting, and issuing licenses, are non-compliant.

However, she pointed out that other members of staff from the three branches of government are also non-compliant in declaring their assets. “Our next course of action will be to request the listing of staff from government institutions, match them against our current records, and address them like we will address all other non-compliance. “

In response to this report, the LACC has recommended that sanctions prescribed by law be enforced against those who have failed to meet the asset declaration requirements. This would underline that non-compliance will not be tolerated and accountability is crucial in public institutions.