To Set Up Assets Recovery Task Force, But Will Boakai’s Initiative Gain Concrete Results Where Previous Governments Had Failed?
PHOTO: President Joe Boakai
With just over one month in office, Liberia’s 26th President Joseph Nyuma Boakai has begun to take steps to begin addressing the longstanding cancer of impunity that has engulfed this West African country for over a century by attempting to bring perpetrators of economic crimes to book.
“I, Joseph Nyuma Boakai, President of the Republic of Liberia, hereby issue this Executive Order #126, with an intent to immediately take steps to retrieve, recover, restore and reinstate our fixed and liquid assets from within and out of our borders that have been converted to private use by government officials and employees that were placed in positions of trust,” says the Executive Order which has been published by the Executive Mansion in Monrovia.
Similar assets recovery task force was set up by former President George Manneh in 2020, but that initiative did not go far enough, as the former head of the group, Cllr. Arthur Johnson stepped down because he claimed there was lack of political will.
Cllr. Arthur Johnson
“I am so constrained to tender in my resignation from the position of Chairman of the Assets Investigation Restitution and Recovery Team (AIRReT) due to the fact that my anticipation and perception about the fight against corruption is not achieving its objectives. I expected that there will be a “WILL” in the fight against corruption but this belief of mine had proven to be an illusion, and therefore, I cannot continue to risk my career and reputation.”
SEE FULL TEXT OF BOAKAI’S LATEST EXECUTIVE ORDER #125 BELOW:
EXECUTIVE ORDER NO. 126
ESTABLISHMENT OF THE OFFICE OF ASSETS RECOVERY
WHEREAS, assets that were illegally and wrongfully acquired at the expense of the government and people of Liberia have served to enrich certain current and past government officials who have acted with impunity and affront to the country and their fellow citizens;
WHEREAS, it is the responsibility of all public officials to declare their assets upon entry into public service and upon exit therefrom in the interest of transparency and in keeping with established law in order to give account of their stewardship whilst in public office and in order to avoid corruption and illegal acquisition of assets;
WHEREAS, 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 and;
WHEREAS, in order to put into place the required legal framework for the recovery of all assets wrongfully acquired by current and former officials and employees of the Liberian Government in order to appropriately and robustly curtail this alarming menace that has engulfed our country and address the situation of converting public fixed and liquid assets to private use by officials placed in positions of trust; the Government of Liberia has decided to establish a Task Force of Assets Recovery within the Office of the Minister of State for Special Services that will have the legal authority and mandate to retrieve all wrongfully acquired government assets:
WHEREAS, the task force shall consist of a chair and co-chair, and shall have the full cooperation of the General Services Agency, the Ministry of Justice and all security agencies;
WHEREAS, the Asset Recovery Task Force shall also retrieve assets from private individuals who have illegally purchased government assets;
WHEREAS, given the gravity of this situation and the need to immediately restore lost assets in order to ensure economic viability and development, it is imperative to issue this Executive Order that cannot await the lengthy legislative process that may derail the process of assets restoration;
NOW THEREFORE, I, Joseph Nyuma Boakai, President of the Republic of Liberia, hereby issue this Executive Order #126, with an intent to immediately take steps to retrieve, recover, restore and reinstate our fixed and liquid assets from within and out of our borders that have been converted to private use by government officials and employees that were placed in positions of trust.
The Task Force has the following mandate:
- Identify and trace all of Liberia’s stolen and suspicious assets within and out of the borders of Liberia;
- Constitute investigative Panel to probe into Liberia’s stolen and suspicious assets;
- Constitute an effective and robust legal, research and investigative team to procure and prepare tangible evidence;
- Initiate immediate criminal prosecution and civil litigation where applicable on behalf of the Government of Liberia;
- Upon Adjudication, return confiscated assets to Liberia;
- Place Travel and other restrictions on all individuals identified as suspects while undergoing investigation for stolen and suspicious assets;
- Employ diplomatic and Interpol means to extradite individuals identified as suspects that are outside the bailiwick of Liberia in order to bring them under the jurisdiction of the investigative team; and
- The Ministry of Finance and Development Planning shall with immediate effect allocate and disburse funding based on the budget presented for the full implementation of this exercise.
This Executive Order shall take immediate effect.
GIVEN UNDER MY HAND AND SEAL THIS ______ DAY OF MARCH A. D. 2024.
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Joseph Nyuma Boakai, Sr.
President of the Republic of Liberia