By:Sampson W Weah – sampsonwweah7@gmail.com
MONROVIA – The Center for Transparency and Accountability in Liberia (CENTAL) has called on President Joseph N. Boakai to dismiss executive officials who continue to defy asset declaration laws by failing to disclose their incomes, assets, and liabilities.
CENTAL emphasized that asset declaration is not only a legal obligation under the 2014 Code of Conduct for Public Officials, but also a critical mechanism for promoting transparency and fighting corruption in government.
While acknowledging notable progress—including full compliance by the President, Vice President, Speaker of the House, and the Liberia Revenue Authority (LRA)—CENTAL expressed deep concern over widespread non-compliance among other high-ranking officials.
These include several lawmakers and justices of the Supreme Court, whose failure to comply has raised alarm among accountability advocates.
The organization highlighted recent recommendations from the Office of the Ombudsman, which advised the suspension and salary withholding of four Supreme Court justices and 29 legislators for refusing to declare their assets, as mandated by law.
CENTAL strongly condemned this continued disregard for legal obligations by public servants—especially those tasked with interpreting and upholding the law.
The group described such conduct as a “betrayal of public trust” and pointed to the irony of the Supreme Court, which had previously upheld the Ombudsman’s authority to enforce the Code of Conduct, now being in violation of it.
CENTAL also urged the Legislature to impose appropriate sanctions on its non-compliant members and ensure equal enforcement of the law across all branches of government.
Additionally, the organization raised concerns over the status of 457 appointed officials who were suspended earlier this year by President Boakai for failing to declare their assets. CENTAL called for clarity on whether these individuals have since complied or continue to serve in violation of the President’s directive.
In conclusion, CENTAL called on President Boakai to take bold and decisive action by dismissing all defiant executive officials.
It also urged the Liberia Anti-Corruption Commission (LACC) to release a full report on asset declaration compliance and ensure that all declarations are independently verified to uphold the integrity of the process.
