The Executive Chairperson of the Liberia Anti-Corruption Commission (LACC), Cllr. Alexandra Zoe is calling on lawmakers to pass the proposed bill for the establishment of Criminal Court “F” — a specialized court that would help fast track corruption cases in the country.
“What that will mean to us is that instead of going to all the other courts that are currently overwhelmed when we do our investigation, we do our indictment; we just proceed to the specialized anti-corruption court, and they will try the cases speedily, and we will be able to recover,” Cllr. Zoe Said, appearing at the Ministry of Information press briefing on Thursday, June 19, 2025.
According to Cllr. Zoe, Criminal Court “C”, which hears corruption cases filed by the LACC, is currently overwhelmed with other cases, leading to significant delays for cases filed by the Commission.
Created in August 2008, after a task force recommended its structure and governance to former President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, the LACC is charged with the responsibility to investigate and prosecute cases of corruption in public and private institutions as well as educate the public about the dangers of corruption and the benefits of ending corruption.
However, it does not try cases. Completed prosecution, and investigation of cases are forwarded to Criminal Court “C” for prosecution as the currently the only court responsible for criminal cases.
The challenge is not just the court outcomes. “A defendant can take an appeal to the Supreme Court after Court “C” ruling,” says Cllr. Zoe, “which is a 60 days period to be able to effect the appeal, and even when the appeal is completed because the supreme court now has jurisdiction of the matter we cannot proceed with enforcement these are issues that we have,” she said.
“Imagine we go through the process of months of investigation, drawing up reports, months of processing prosecution, and even when the lower court hands down a guilty verdict we cannot proceed with enforcement because the law prohibits until after the Supreme Court can hear into the matter.”
According to her, these are challenges that impede the Commission work, adding their advocacy has been on reforming these laws that adequately empowers the commission.
Citing a scenario involving Enree Bee Neeplo, former Program Manager of the Planned Parenthood Association of Liberia (PPAL), who was found guilty of economic sabotage and other financial crimes, has taken an appeal to the Supreme Court, therefore, the Commission cannot carry out enforcement until after the Supreme Court shall have heard the matter.
“Unfortunately, we have a problem with our judiciary system, the defender has taken an appeal to the supreme court,” Cllr. Zoe said.
Cllr. Zoe call comes amidst mounting pressure from the public and some of those being investigated, about the finding, and outcomes of cases it is handling involving high-profile officials including the Liberia Telecommunication Authority (LTA), the former Director General of the National Water, Sanitation and Hygiene Commission (NWASHC), suspended officials of the Liberia Refugee Repatriation & Resettlement Commission (LRRRC), current officials of the National Road Fund Authority (NRFA), and suspended officials of the National Oil Company of Liberia (NOCAL).
Other cases include the suspended head of the National Fisheries and Aquaculture Authority (NAFAA), and allegations against the current head of NWASHC.
“Somebody will ask why we are not even recovering under our law. You cannot diversify anybody’s property except through the outcome of a court proceedings,” she added.
Anderson Miamen, Executive Director, the Center for Transparency and Accountability backs LACC’s Chairwoman’s call for a specialized court to speedily try corruption cases to boost public confidence. “We are in full support of this and urge the President, Legislature, development partners and other actors to collaborate and ensure that the Court is established,” he said “Staffed, and adequately funded to operate, effectively and efficiently.”
Mr. Miamen believes that the scale of corruption in Liberia requires sustained dedicated efforts, one of which is the establishment and adequate funding of the specialized Court to prosecute corruption and other economic and financial crimes.
The 2008 Act which created the LACC was repealed by a bill submitted by former president George Weah titled “Act Restating An Act to Re-establish the Liberia Anti-Corruption Commission.
Passed by the legislature, the revised law grants the commission the power to prosecute cases without going through the Ministry of Justice – but it also stripped the commission of its authority to seize public officials’ assets or freeze them if indicted, except if the commission proves the person is of flight risk.
During that same year, the LACC was headed by former chairman, Cllr. Edwin Kla Martin implicated several high-profile public officials of the then Weah administration including Jeanie Cooper, former Agriculture Minister, Francis Wreh, former the head of the Liberia Institute of Geo-Information Services, and two of his deputies.
Critics said the introduction of the restated act, and the implication of the high-profile officials was a vivid reality of the government’s weak stands on corruption.
The LACC is also spearheading Asset Declaration that mandates public officials to declare assets before, and after leaving office.Some public officials in the legislature, senate, judiciary have refused to declare their assets, disobeying the deadline. The initial February 12, 2025 deadline announced by President Joseph Boakai. “We still have public officials who were on the list and have refused. As I speak to you, we have 100 public officials in Monrovia,” she said.
Other officials include Board members National Social Security and Welfare Corporation (NASSCORP), Liberia Electricity Corporation (LEC), JOHN F. Kennedy and National Port Authority.
“We have people who are sitting on the Board collecting salaries but have refused to come and declare their assets with the LACC.”
