In a sweeping move to enforce his administration’s anti-corruption stance, President Joseph Nyuma Boakai, Sr. has suspended James A. S. Momoh, Superintendent of the Monrovia Consolidated School System (MCSS), with immediate effect and without pay.
The suspension, announced June 24, comes amid mounting allegations of administrative and financial misconduct within Liberia’s largest public school system. According to a statement from the Executive Mansion, President Boakai’s decision was triggered by disturbing reports pointing to unauthorized procurement and questionable contract execution under Momoh’s leadership.
Among the allegations is the unapproved procurement of 6,500 desks and chairs valued at US$357,500. Additionally, a US$451,150.60 contract for laboratory supplies and services — signed on July 11, 2024 — was reportedly executed outside the country’s established public procurement procedures. Even more troubling, a report from the Financial Intelligence Agency (FIA) links MCSS personnel to alleged kickback schemes, suggesting systemic abuse of public trust and office.
“These allegations reflect a troubling pattern of mismanagement and potential corruption,” the Executive Mansion said in a press statement.
In keeping with his ARREST Agenda — which emphasizes Accountability, Rule of Law, Reconciliation, Education, Sanitation, and Transparency — President Boakai has instructed the Liberia Anti-Corruption Commission (LACC) and other relevant government agencies to conduct a full, impartial investigation into the matter.
Superintendent Momoh has been ordered to immediately turn over all official MCSS property and documentation to the Chairperson of the MCSS Board, Mr. John-Charuk Siafa, and to fully cooperate with the LACC during the investigation.
This is the second major suspension by President Boakai in recent weeks targeting alleged corruption within public institutions.
It can be recalled that Abdullah L. Kamara, Acting Chairman of the Liberia Telecommunications Authority (LTA), was also suspended by the President following damning findings in a General Auditing Commission (GAC) report.
Kamara, who previously served as CEO of TAMMA Corporation — a private company that received multiple government contracts, was linked to over L$262 million and US$450,000 in questionable financial transactions. The GAC report further alleged mismanagement of US$2.6 million earmarked for a digital literacy program aimed at empowering Liberian youth.
President Boakai emphasized that Kamara’s suspension, also without pay, was a direct consequence of his administration’s zero-tolerance policy on corruption.
“The Government of Liberia remains resolute in protecting the integrity of public institutions,” the Executive Mansion declared. “Those entrusted with public service must be held to the highest standards of accountability and ethical conduct.”
President Boakai’s latest actions send a clear message that no official — regardless of rank or influence — is immune to accountability. With two high-profile suspensions in less than a month, the Boakai administration appears intent on making the fight against corruption a central pillar of its governance.
As investigations continue, public attention will now turn to how swiftly and transparently the LACC, and other oversight bodies move to complete their probes — and whether additional officials could soon face similar consequences.
