MONROVIA – In a commentary released on Thursday, September 4, 2025, veteran Liberian lawyer and pan-Africanist Cllr. Tiawan Saye Gongloe accused Liberia’s government of institutionalizing what he called “legalized theft,” warning that public resources are being diverted to benefit a select few while ordinary Liberians suffer.
“In Liberia today, we live with a dangerous contradiction: theft has been legalized,” Gongloe wrote. “The mere fact that money is appropriated in the budget or authorized by statute does not change its character when it enriches a few while impoverishing the many.”
Gongloe singled out high salaries for public officials, extravagant state banquets, endless convoys, and bloated delegations to foreign conferences as prime examples of this legalized theft. According to him, such practices are deemed legal only because those in power have the authority to make them so. Yet, they constitute theft because they divert resources from critical sectors such as education, healthcare, infrastructure, and agriculture.
The commentary also criticized what Gongloe described as the failure of the government’s so-called “rescue mission” to halt waste and corruption. Instead of curbing abuse, he contends, the initiative has entrenched it, allowing exploitation to persist under the guise of official policy.
He highlighted the outsourcing of core government functions as a particularly egregious example. “Handing over work permit processing to CETIS, a Slovenian company reportedly pocketing 40% of the collections, strips the state of sovereignty and robs the Liberian people in broad daylight,” Gongloe wrote. “The more permits this company issues, the more money it takes, and the more non-Liberians occupy jobs meant for Liberians. The result: the richer the company grows, the poorer Liberians become.” He also noted that there is no evidence of any Liberian working with CETIS in Slovenia, further underlining the exploitative nature of the arrangement.
Gongloe’s critique extended beyond government operations to education, where he condemned excessive graduation fees charged by some institutions. In his view, charging hundreds of dollars for ceremonies that offer even basic services like water amounts to legalized theft, exploiting families already struggling to afford schooling for their children.
“Legalized theft may not look like the snatching of a purse on Benson Street, but its consequences are far worse,” Gongloe warned. “It is the quiet violence that produces mass poverty, unemployment, hopelessness, and human suffering.”
He called on Liberians to confront legalized theft with the same seriousness applied to petty corruption. Without decisive action, Gongloe argued, the nation will remain paradoxically rich in resources yet poor in quality of life for its citizens.
Gongloe concluded by reminding public officials of the fundamental purpose of government: “Government is a place to serve, not to steal.”
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