Members of the Judiciary, Claims and Petition Committee, along with the Banking and Currency Committee have begun a vagarious exercise that will lead to the passage of key bills and other legislations before the Senate’s Judiciary Committee room.
At the commencement of a two-day retreat on Friday, February 4, 2022 at the Capitol, the Joint Committee resolved to elevate the Financial Intelligence Unit (FIU) to agency status.
Also during their deliberations at the retreat, members of the Joint Committee concluded that the proposed Financial Intelligence Agency shall be headed by the Ministry of Justice on the coordinating committee, while the Ministry of Finance and Development Planning shall be vice and the Central Bank of Liberia shall be a member of the committee.
The Financial Intelligence Agency, when established according to the Joint Committee, shall be an investigating agency.
With respect to an “Act Amending and Restating an Act to Establish the Liberia Anti-Corruption Commission”, the Joint Committee, amongst other things, resolved that prosecutorial power given to it under the present act should be removed under this amendment.
Principally, the committee agreed that all economic crimes that fall under the Penal Code of Liberia should be considered as corruption.
Furthermore, the committee noted and settled that the Liberia Anti-Corruption Commission (LACC) be the investigative body, and that findings of the LACC’s investigation be forwarded to the Ministry of Justice for prosecution, instead of the LACC being an authority to investigate and, at the same time, prosecute.
The committee simultaneously resolved that the Bureau of Economic Crimes, Ministry of Justice, be elevated to a department with an Assistant Minister for Economic Crimes to fast-track findings from LACC’s investigations.
With respect to an “Act to Protect Whistleblower”, to be known as “Whistleblower Act of 2021”, the Joint Committee members resolved that there should be further long-term consultations and deliberations before presenting findings to plenary.
The Joint Committee concluded its retreat on Saturday with lengthy deliberations on the “Alien and Nationality Law”.
Following the retreat, the Joint Committee is expected to report its findings and recommendations to the plenary of the Liberian Senate for consideration.
