-Says declining fight against Corruption worrisome
By Frank Sainworla, Jr. fsainworla@yahoo.com
“President Weah has not honored key recommendations nor lived up to commitments made to robustly tackle corruption and create an enabling environment for public integrity institutions to satisfactorily perform,” with nearly one year after taking office, Liberia’s anti-corruption watchdog group, CENTAL said on Monday.
CENTAL is the Center for Transparency and Accountability in Liberia.
In his January 22, 2018 inaugural address, the football icon-turned politician vowed that “Those looking to cheat the Liberian people through corruption will have no place,” adding, “I declare publicly today that transforming the lives of all Liberians is a singular mission.”
But in a strongly-worded statement issued on Monday, November 26, 2018, the Liberian anti corruption campaigner says “the signs on the wall are not encouraging with the CDC government making no improvement in fighting corruption but perpetuating the long-running culture of impunity.
“The country’s fight against corruption had experienced sharp decline under former president Sirleaf, after failing to address impunity and prosecuting her family members and cronies, despite establishing key anti-graft institutions and passing groundbreaking anti-corruption laws and policies,” the Liberian anti-graft campaign group says.
CENTAL, the Transparency International local chapter, is calling on President Weah not to “repeat mistakes of former president Sirleaf, when she, among other things, shielded her officials; appointed persons with tainted records in key government positions and gave limited moral and financial support to integrity institutions to effectively operate.”
CENTAL’s Executive Director Miamen
The Liberian anti-corruption watchdog group however says “despite some notable positive actions taken” by the CDC government since it came to power last January, there are several things happening in the Weah administration that undermine the fight against corruption.
Among other positive actions, CENTAL names the timely investigation of the recent corruption scandal involving senior management of the National Housing Authority (NHA), high level of compliance of the Judiciary with the asset declaration requirement (333 out of 370 officials) and withdrawal of the appointment of Cllr. Charles Gibson as Justice Minister.
But it says these actions are being overshadowed by “allegations of public officials acquiring and developing multiple properties, with barely one year in power, seriously undermines and brings into question the transparency credentials of the government, whose pro-poor agenda should be grounded on unprecedented levels of good governance, transparency and integrity.”
Questions raised
CENTAL goes on to raise several questions it says are lingering among the Liberian public.
The group asks: “What does the President hope to achieve from attempting to micro-manage these integrity institutions? What learning and best practices are informing this decision, when lack of financial autonomy, limited moral and financial support to these institutions are already undermining their work? Are we now witnessing an era where Liberia is becoming an island and operating in isolation of independent global best practice?”
The Liberian anti corruption campaign group has criticized President Weah for his recent Bill to the Legislature calling for the withdrawal of tenured positions for several public integrity agencies such as the Public Procurement and Concession Commission (PPCC), the Liberia Anti Corruption Commission (LACC) and the Liberia Revenue Authority (LACC).
Last week, the House of Representatives pass the Bill to end tenured position for all but three of such institutions- General Auditing Commission (GAC), Central Bank of Liberia (CBL) and the National Elections Commission (NEC).
“While other countries around the world are anxious to make their integrity institutions more independent and autonomous,” CENTAL says Liberia under the CDC government is “treading the opposite path”.
Recommendations
Meanwhile, the Liberian anti corruption watchdog group is calling on President Weah to abandon plans to scrap key tenured positions at public integrity institutions and other agencies with extremely critical functions in the governance process.
CENTAL is also calling on the Liberian leader “to suspend, for time indefinite, all public officials guilty of violating the Code of Conduct, until cleared by the LACC, following declaration of their assets, incomes and liabilities within one week.”
The Legislature has also been urged to “follow the very good example of the Judiciary in complying with the Code of Conduct for Pubic Officials.”
According to the campaign group, the Liberian Anti-corruption Commission and other relevant agencies of government independently and timely verify and publish assets, incomes and liabilities declared by current government officials.
CENTAL wants President Weah to “practically leads by example in not only promoting, but also exemplarily championing integrity and good governance in Liberia.”
It also wants the Legislature to lead by example in championing transparency and accountability in government.
In another development, the Center for Transparency and Accountability has expressed dissatisfaction with the slow pace of investigations into the nearly 16 billion Liberian dollar banknotes saga.
“That on-going investigation into the missing billions saga be treated with urgency and timely updates provided to the public on the status of the investigation. Those appointed to key positions in government should be of impeccable character,” the anti corruption watchdog group added.