MONROVIA – The Liberian Senate has launched a formal investigation into the Liberia Agency for Community Empowerment (LACE) following troubling revelations about questionable expenditures and stalled development projects under the agency’s management. The inquiry, announced during the Senate’s plenary session on Tuesday, June 3, 2025, is being spearheaded by the Senate Committee on Public Accounts and Audit.
Central to the investigation is a US$675,000 expenditure that LACE claimed was used for community surveys, town hall meetings, and field assessments related to proposed legislative projects. LACE Executive Director Julius Sele disclosed that the funds were intended to support engagement activities across six counties: Nimba, Bong, Grand Bassa, Bomi, Grand Gedeh, and Lofa. However, lawmakers are raising serious concerns over the lack of visible results.
Senator Prince K. Moye of Bong County, Chair of the Senate Committee on Ways, Means, Finance, and Budget, questioned the rationale behind such a significant amount being spent solely on assessments. He called for an immediate probe into the agency’s financial practices. Senator Jonathan Boycharles Sogbie of River Gee County added that nearly all LACE projects allocated under the Legislative Project Scheme have remained abandoned since 2022, citing the stalled Fish Town City Hall as a key example.
In 2024, LACE was allotted US$14 million in the national budget. Records show that US$7.4 million of that amount was spent. For the 2025 fiscal year, the agency has been allocated US$1.8 million. Included in LACE’s 2024 budget outturn is an additional US$399,800 reportedly used for vehicle repairs.
The investigation comes months after prominent social justice advocate Martin Kollie publicly accused LACE of gross mismanagement and what he described as “institutionalized thievery.” In a public statement issued in February 2025, Kollie alleged that the US$675,000 was misused under the guise of consultations and engagement. He claimed that community leaders in the targeted counties reported receiving no financial or logistical support from the agency.
“He didn’t even build a toilet or a mini-market with this money,” Kollie said, expressing outrage that such a large amount could be spent without delivering any infrastructure. His breakdown of the spending included US$160,000 for consultations, US$133,000 for vehicle rentals over a 20-day period (at US$6,650 per day), and US$84,000 in daily sustenance allowances, despite LACE staff already receiving government salaries. Kollie also cited US$37,500 for media engagements, US$45,625 for engineer consultations, and US$21,200 reportedly used to “engage and negotiate” for office space, all expenses he labeled as inflated and largely undocumented.
On Thursday, June 5, 2025, following the Senate’s announcement of the probe, Kollie took to Facebook to applaud the development. “Another victory for the people,” he wrote. “In February 2025, we exposed LACE Boss Julius Sele for wasting and siphoning US$675K just to tour 6 Counties in Liberia. The Liberian Senate has just announced an investigation. We won’t rest.”
LACE Executive Director Julius Sele is expected to appear before the Senate Committee in the coming days. Lawmakers say the investigation aims to ensure transparency and accountability in the use of public funds, especially in a period marked by economic constraints and mounting demands for improved service delivery across Liberia.
