By Socrates Smythe Saywon
MONROVIA – The Center for Transparency and Accountability in Liberia (CENTAL) has called on President Joseph N. Boakai to dismiss all executive branch officials who have failed to declare their assets, incomes, and liabilities in accordance with Liberia’s Code of Conduct for Public Officials. The demand was made during a press conference held Tuesday, August 5, 2025, at CENTAL’s headquarters in Monrovia.
Speaking to journalists, CENTAL Executive Director Mr. Anderson D. Miamen underscored the significance of asset declaration as a critical safeguard against corruption and a tool for strengthening public trust. “As you may already be aware, a cardinal tool in preventing corruption, promoting good governance, transparency, and improving citizen’s trust in their leaders is declaration of assets and liabilities, prior to and after leaving office, by those entrusted with public power and authority,” Miamen stated.
He emphasized that while the law was passed in 2014 to compel public officials to disclose their assets, implementation remains inconsistent. Miamen commended President Boakai for commissioning Cllr. Findley D. Karngar to head the Office of Ombudsman, tasked with enforcing the asset declaration law, but noted that many public officials, including legislators and justices, continue to defy it.
CENTAL acknowledged encouraging signs of compliance from top officials such as the President, Vice President, Speaker of the House, President Pro Tempore, and full compliance at the Liberia Revenue Authority. However, Miamen pointed to data from the Liberia Anti-Corruption Commission (LACC) indicating that a significant number of public officials still refuse to submit their declarations.
“Data gathered from the Liberia Anti-Corruption Commission shows that a considerable number of officials of government, including appointees, legislators, and justices of the Supreme Court of Liberia, are still reneging on declaring their assets, incomes, and liabilities,” he disclosed.
Miamen referenced recent recommendations by the Office of the Ombudsman to suspend and withhold one month of salaries and benefits from four of the five sitting Justices of the Supreme Court, Chief Justice Sie-A-Nyene G. Yuoh, and Justices Yussif D. Kaba, Jamesetta H. Wolokolie, and Ceaineh D. Clinton Johnson, as well as 29 lawmakers for failing to comply with Sections 15.1(c) and (d) of the Code of Conduct.
“We are dismayed that officials at the highest levels of government who swore oath to uphold the laws of Liberia are in gross disregard of the very laws they swore to uphold,” Miamen said. “On the one hand, a significant number of legislators, who are the makers of the law, are not complying with the laws they made. On the other, the interpreters of the law, Justices of the Supreme Court, are turning a blind eye on its implementation.”
Miamen cited the Supreme Court’s own 2017 opinion in the Polson-Mappy v. Republic of Liberia case, which affirmed the exclusive jurisdiction of the Office of the Ombudsman to investigate and enforce compliance with the Code of Conduct. He expressed concern that the Court is now itself in violation of the law it previously upheld.
CENTAL also raised concerns about the February 2025 suspension of 457 appointed officials by President Boakai due to asset declaration non-compliance. Miamen questioned whether those officials have returned to work without fulfilling the requirements. “We are yet to be informed whether these officials have resumed work, and if so, whether such resumption is a result of their compliance with the President’s directive to declare their assets, incomes and liabilities,” he noted.
He urged the Liberia Anti-Corruption Commission to publish a full status report on the affected individuals to ensure transparency and public confidence in the enforcement process.
In closing, Miamen pushed for stronger consequences. “We call on President Joseph N. Boakai to go a step further from suspension to dismissing all officials within the Executive found to have remained defiant by their refusal to declare their assets, incomes and liabilities,” he said.
He further urged the LACC to move beyond documentation and begin verifying declared assets to ensure they are accurate and not simply filed to satisfy legal formalities. “We urge the Liberia Anti-Corruption Commission to ensure that assets declared are not just kept on the shelves, but are timely verified, to ensure that the true essence and objectives of the asset declaration process are fully realized,” Miamen concluded.
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