—_Says No Specialized Court to Prosecute
IPNEWS: Prior to it coming to power, the Unity Party campaign on it’s determination to fight corruption and bring to book those with greater responsibilities for the looting of state money.
It nearly 15months it’s administration, Boakai’s government is yet to Prosecute alleged corrupt former government officials, including those sanctioned by the United States for various acts state looting.
This week, thw Liberia Anti-Corruption Commission (LACC) released its 2024 annual report, detailing completed investigations into corruption cases across various government agencies and institutions. The report, made public on Wednesday, March 19, 2025, by LACC Executive Chairperson Cllr. Alexandra Kromah Zoe, highlights financial irregularities amounting to millions of dollars and underscores the ongoing challenge of securing indictments due to the lack of a specialized anti-corruption court.
According to the report, several high-profile cases were investigated and completed in 2024, including allegations of fraud, tax evasion, money laundering, and procurement fraud. Among them is the National Oil Company of Liberia (NOCAL), which was involved in a US$3 million procurement fraud case related to the construction of its headquarters. The Liberia Revenue Authority (LRA) was also the subject of multiple investigations, including a money laundering case involving US$229,771 linked to an employee, Daniel Kolleh, and a separate US$195,213 laundering case connected to Abraham Askie.
The LACC further disclosed that former Finance Minister Samuel Tweah and other officials, including former Deputy Minister of Justice Nyenati Tuan, were implicated in the alleged mismanagement of US$6 million transferred from the Central Bank of Liberia (CBL) to the Financial Intelligence Agency (FIA). Additionally, former Minister of State for Presidential Affairs Nathaniel McGill was named in an investigation into payroll fraud within the ministry.
Other notable cases include a US$200,000 fraud allegation at the Executive Protection Service (EPS), a US$900,000 construction fraud case at the Ministry of Public Works, and an investigation into Bong County’s Social Development Fund, where US$3 million was allegedly mismanaged.
While the LACC has concluded investigations into these cases, it emphasized that prosecuting corruption remains a major hurdle due to the limited capacity of the Montserrado court handling such matters. “We are currently working with the courts to secure indictments, but the lack of a specialized anti-corruption court remains our primary challenge in the fight against corruption,” Cllr. Zoe stated.
The LACC announced that it would publish cases completed in the first quarter of 2025 in April, further demonstrating its commitment to accountability. However, with millions of dollars in alleged fraud uncovered, public attention now shifts to whether these cases will result in successful prosecutions or if systemic legal barriers will continue to shield corrupt officials from justice
