As Sen. Karnga-Lawrence, Deputy Speaker Thomas Fallah & Many Other Ranking Legislators Fail To Declare Their Assets
US-Sanctioned Legislators, Senators Prince Johnson, Nathaniel McGill, Albert Chie & Emmanuel Nuquay Have Also Failed To Declare Their Assets
PHOTO: (L_R) Sen. Nyonblee Karnga-Lawrence (UP Alliance), Senate President Pro Tempore and Deputy Speaker, Thomas Fallah (CDC)
By Our Staff Writer
“The use of ‘asset declaration’/wealth disclosure is a powerful preventive tool to help public officials avoid unwarranted accusations of conflicts of interest and illicit wealth accumulation. It is also used to increase the confidence level of the general public in their leaders and those occupying positions that are prone to conflict of interest and the use of discretionary power.”
Instead of adhering to the National Code of Conduct Act and Liberia Anti-Corruption Commission Act to declare their assets and liabilities upon taking office as lawmakers, top leaders of the Senate and House of Representatives and other ranking members have become lawbreakers by failing to declare their assets, nearly eight months after the seating of the present government.
According to the latest assets declaration report released by the Liberia Anti-Corruption Commission (LACC) on Thursday, September 5, 2024, topping the list of scores of noncompliant Senate President Pro Tempore, Nyonblee Karnga Lawrence, Senator of Grand Bassa County from the ruling Unity Party Alliance of President Joseph Boakai and the Deputy Speaker of the House of Representative, Thomas Fallah, Lofa County Representative, who is from the main opposition CDC party of former President George Weah.
At the same time, ranking members of the Senate who are already under United States government Sanctions for “significant corruption”, Sen. Prince Y. Jonson of Nimba County, former Senate President Pro Temporay, Sen. Albert Chie of Grand Kru County and Margibi County Sen. Emmanuel Nuquay, who have been sanctioned along with former Finance Minister Samuel Tweah.
Sen. Prince Johnson, another US-sanctioned Liberian official
Other ranking Senators are also on the list of noncompliant Legislators including Sen. Saa Joseph of Montserrado County and former Liberian House Speaker and now Senator of Bomi County, Alex Tyler.
Giving the asset declaration report at the MICAT press briefing in Monrovia, the Chairperson of the LACC Board of Commissioners, Cllr. Alexandra Zoe told Journalists that the anti-graft body is recommending punitive actions for noncompliant officials in line with the law.
Cllr. Alexandra Zoe, LACC boss
Enforcing the declaration of assets and verification is one of the key functions of the LACC in line with constitutional provisions and “In fulfillment of the Article 90(c) mandate of the 1986 Constitution of the Republic of Liberia, the June 20, 2014, “ACT OF LEGISLATURE PRESCRIBING A NATIONAL CODE OF CONDUCT FOR ALL PUBLIC OFFICIALS AND EMPLOYEES OF THE GOVERNMENT OF THE REPUBLIC OF LIBERIA,” the LACC says. SOURCE: What is Assets Declaration – Liberia Anti-Corruption Commission (lacc.gov.lr)
In defining what assets declaration is, the LACC explains: “The use of ‘asset declaration’/wealth disclosure is a powerful preventive tool to help public officials avoid unwarranted accusations of conflicts of interest and illicit wealth accumulation. It is also used to increase the confidence level of the general public in their leaders and those occupying positions that are prone to conflict of interest and the use of discretionary power.”
The LACC further explains:
“Asset declaration by public officials and employees of government form the basis for engaging with declarants. Whereas the verification process is a process of corroboration items listed against actuality. Indications of preponderance of discrepancies and cloudiness of declarations may warrant administrative punishment or gravitate to full-scale investigation and subsequent prosecution, as the case may be, pursuant to Part 10.3 Sanctions for False Declaration of the NCoC and PART IV – POWERS OF THE COMMISSION of the LACC Act. Public officials’ declarations have become a part of the global standard that is embodied in the United Nations Convention against Corruption. In Liberia, Assets Declaration and Verification are considered as key components in the fight against corruption. These processes are preventive tools which are useful in helping to minimize corruption and to develop a basis by which officials acquiring wealth can have their income monitored against illicit wealth accumulation.”.