Liberia president suspends hundreds of officials over failure to declare assets News
Peter Clottey/VOA, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
Liberia president suspends hundreds of officials over failure to declare assets

Liberian President Joseph Boakai announced more than 450 suspended top government officials on Thursday, including ministers, for failing to declare their assets to the anti-corruption agency, Liberia Anti-Corruption Commission (LACC).

According to the presidency, the suspended officials will be put on unpaid leave for a month until they make the necessary declarations.

Under Article 90(c) of the 1986 Constitution, which mandates the code of conduct for government employees, the LACC enjoys wide powers, including the power to develop asset declaration guidelines. Under the current guidelines, all public servants must make declarations accessible to the public employer and the general public. They must also declare assets to the LACC for investigative purposes. All public officials, including members of the legislature, judiciary, and executive are subject to this requirement.

According to the list released by the LACC, 457 members of the executive branch did not comply with the asset declaration rules.

The suspensions come amidst continuous anti-corruption efforts by the administration. In July 2024, President Joseph Boakai announced that he would reduce his salary voluntarily by 40 percent with the aim of “strengthening government accountability and demonstrating solidarity with the people”. As of the second quarter of 2024, the LACC had commenced 45 ongoing investigations based on reports from the public. Currently, the LACC requires all government officials to make a national integrity pledge, committing to principles of integrity, transparency, and accountability.

The official website of the LACC calls the declaration requirements “part of a global standard that is embodied in the United Nations Convention against Corruption”, to which it is currently a party. According to Article 8(5) of the convention, parties to the convention must establish systems and measures requiring public officials to declare their assets or benefits from which a conflict of interest may result concerning their functions as public officials.

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