Guest Editorial: The Call For A Robust, Impartial And People-Centered Fight Against Corruption In Liberia

“WHAT, THEN, IS unfolding here? Incompetence on the part of state prosecutors or a deliberate cover-up scheme under a wider pretext aimed at appeasing an unsuspecting public? All these are happening when the government has used taxpayers’ money to prosecute those concerned, assuring the public that it had the quantum of evidence required to successfully prosecute the case.  What has changed since the process begun? Is the government validating former President Sirleaf’s assertion of May 2019 that her son was unjustifiably and illegally charged? Could big hands be behind such action?

“LIBERIANS DESERVE BETTER than a selective fight against corruption. In the midst of millions lost to corruption in Liberia, conviction has fast become a ‘Taboo’, with nearly all those implicated in major scandals and glaring abuse of public trust and resources exonerated, at the expense of public interest. This is a worrisome trend that brings into question sincerity of the fight against corruption and prosecution of those accused of corruption. 

“MORE BROADLY, WE call for a robust, impartial and people-centered fight against corruption in Liberia. The system must work for the poor and not shield and or protect those in power. The Liberia Anti-Corruption Commission, General Auditing Commission, Public Procurement and Concession Commission and other public integrity institutions must stand up to independently play their required roles. At the moment, they are somehow complicit in the poor state of the fight against corruption in Liberia.”