-House Judiciary Committee welcomes request to set up Fast track Corruption Court
By Mark Mengonfia, mmenginfia@gmail.com
The Liberian government through the Ministry of Justice (MOJ) has embarked on an access recovery process that will attempt to retrieve some 4.6 billion United States Dollars.
According to Solicitor General, Cllr. Syrenius Cephus, the over 256 audit reports will be looked at and those who have those monies for the Liberia government and its people will have to restitute in full.
He said that the newly established Assets Investigation and Recovery Team headed by Cllr. Arthur Johnson had already begun writing persons of interest in the audit reports presented them. An initial list of 48 persons of interest has since been published.
Liberia’s Solicitor General Cephus was speaking in Monrovia recently, when he and his team met with the House of Representatives Judiciary Committee.
Cllr. Cephus said: ” Everyone will be treated the same. No government official will be spelled and if it will mean that we will ask the president to suspend government officials we will.”
According to him, during the immediate past government of President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, what was practiced was what he called, “eye for an eye” but for now, the current CDC government is dealing with “restitution”.
When he was asked as to whether those in government will be given preferential treatment he said in respond, that the law treats everyone equally.
The Liberian solicitor general told the Fonati Kofa-led Committee that they will not rest until those individuals in the report are brought to book.
Speaking further, Cllr. Cephus said during the recovery process, he will ensure that two accounts (US dollar and Liberia dollar) are created by the Ministry of Finance wherein money restituted will be placed in.
The Liberian Solicitor General stressed the need for the establishment of a corruption court that will have the power to deal with corrupt cases in the Liberian society.
He indicated that over the years the Liberian government has not been strong when it comes to corruption cases.
According to him, for 12 years former President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf-led government spent millions of dollars but couldn’t win one case.
During the recent public hearing at the Capitol, members of the House Judiciary Committee were quick to caution the Liberian SG to guard against witch-hunting, but pursue the good of Liberians and one that will retrieve Liberian money without fear or favor.
The committee members pledged their support to the assets retrieval process and as well giving their agreement to the establishment of a corruption court in the Liberian republic once it does not target a particular group of people or intended for political reasons.
At the end of the hearing, Cllr.J. Fonati Kofa informed the Solicitor General that he ( Kofa ) has noticed that the Liberia Anti Corruption Commission (LACC) and the Ministry of Justice are not working in collaboration something he said he wants to see if they are to succeed in the work given them by the Liberian President.