By Socrates Smythe Saywon | Smart News Liberia
MONROVIA – The Center for Transparency and Accountability in Liberia (CENTAL) has applauded the government’s seizure of large quantities of narcotics and subsequent suspension, dismissal and prosecution actions against government and law enforcement officials, while calling for greater transparency and broader inclusion in ongoing investigations.
CENTAL National Chapter Executive Director Anderson Miamen made the call on Wednesday, August 5, 2026, when he addressed journalists at the organization’s headquarters in Monrovia, saying the recent narcotics investigation, Liberia’s improved international transparency rating and emerging corruption concerns will collectively shape the country’s governance landscape.
Mr. Miamen said the developments may appear unrelated on the surface, but argued that their significance lies in what follows, particularly whether investigations are transparently completed and disclosed for public record, whether reforms are institutionalized rather than credited to individuals, and whether justice is administered by rules that apply equally to everyone.
He said Liberia has witnessed a series of public announcements involving the dismissal of officials, recognition through an international transparency assessment and judicial proceedings, but stressed that such developments would only amount to accountability and good governance if they produced lasting institutional changes.
On the narcotics investigation, Miamen said CENTAL followed the government’s decision to suspend, dismiss and prosecute 12 government and law enforcement officials following a high-profile investigation into a major narcotics trafficking scheme.
The action followed joint security operations that resulted in two separate drug seizures, including the interception of approximately 238 kilograms of drugs in June 2026, valued at about US$19 million, and another seizure of approximately four metric tons of drugs in July 2026, valued at about US$317 million.
According to Miamen, the two seizures had a combined estimated market value of more than US$336 million, making them the largest recorded narcotics seizure in Liberia’s history.
He said the government’s actions also affected employees and law enforcement officers indicted or linked to the two seizures, including the Director of Security at Roberts International Airport and the Deputy Commander of the Liberia Drug Enforcement Agency stationed at the airport.
Additional individuals from the National Security Agency and the Ministry of Gender, Children and Social Protection were also referred to the Ministry of Justice, according to CENTAL.
Miamen noted that the latest developments followed earlier actions, including the identification of airport security personnel, cargo handlers and others as persons of interest by the Joint Security Team.
He also referenced the suspension of cargo handling operations of GLS Menzies and Express Handling Services by the Legislature and President Joseph Nyuma Boakai’s pledge, during a national address, to “expose and destroy” the drug trafficking network.
CENTAL, Miamen said, applauds members of the Joint Security Team for pursuing the investigation and President Boakai for taking action rather than shelving the findings.
He also credited the Liberian press, citizens, civil society organizations and other stakeholders for maintaining pressure that contributed to the disclosure of the names of persons of interest.
“That sequence: media and citizens’ pressure producing disclosure and disclosure producing actions, is civic accountability working as it should,” Miamen said.
However, he cautioned that the enormous quantities of narcotics seized should not be viewed simply as a criminal matter, arguing that such volumes could not pass through Liberia without weaknesses and possible collusive networks within the country’s security and border systems.
“Narcotics of such quantity do not transit a country whose border, seaports, and airports are functioning without compromises and collusive networks that make them possible,” he said.
According to Miamen, the dismissal of an airport Director of Security, a Deputy Commander of the drug enforcement agency stationed at the airport, a police commissioner responsible for criminal investigation and INTERPOL liaison, and a deputy director of the national intelligence service points to weaknesses within Liberia’s institutional integrity architecture.
He described the situation as a governance failure before it becomes a criminal one, warning that simply removing individuals from office would not be enough to resolve the underlying institutional problems.
CENTAL said it was deeply troubled by the developments, which, according to Miamen, give citizens reasons to have limited confidence in state institutions responsible for tackling illicit drugs and related crimes.
He said delayed and inadequate updates to the public, coupled with growing suspicion about the involvement of other unnamed major state and non-state actors, present a challenge that must be confronted directly.
While welcoming the government’s current efforts, Miamen said they remain inadequate and called for timely and adequate disclosure of information concerning the investigation and related processes.
He argued that greater transparency would give citizens hope and confidence that the system is working in their interest.
CENTAL also called for competitive recruitment and thorough vetting of individuals appointed to strategic positions within the security sector, saying such measures would help prevent unscrupulous individuals from leading critical national institutions and processes.
Miamen further called for a culture of periodic rotation of security officers, arguing that prolonged familiarity and other factors could interfere with the independence and professionalism required of individuals heading strategic institutions.
The organization also wants an inclusive investigative process involving international partners, civil society organizations and other national actors.
According to Miamen, such inclusion would provide greater independence to ongoing efforts aimed at credibly, objectively and robustly investigating the current drug-related discoveries and any future findings.
He stressed that there should be no sacred cows in dealing with the narcotics saga and called for all individuals associated with the alleged crimes to be investigated and prosecuted so that they can fully account for their actions.
Turning to Liberia’s extractive sector, Miamen also hailed the country’s improved performance under the Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative.
He said Liberia received an 80 percent score in its 2026 validation report for implementation of the 2023 EITI Standard.
According to CENTAL, the achievement reflects progress in aligning EITI implementation with national development priorities, strengthening public debate and improving access to extractive sector data through innovative approaches deployed by the Liberia Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative Secretariat.
Miamen congratulated the leadership and staff of the LEITI Secretariat and its Multi-Stakeholder Group, describing the score as a measurable improvement in a sector that generates a substantial share of national revenue and has historically been among the least transparent sectors of the economy.
He said the progress demonstrates that sustained institutional efforts can produce results and challenges the perception that meaningful reforms are impossible in Liberia.
However, CENTAL also cautioned against treating the 80 percent score as the end of the reform process.
Miamen said the validation report identified several areas requiring further action, including inconsistencies in some production and revenue data and the incomplete institutionalization of beneficial ownership disclosure.
He said the report also recommended stronger data assurance systems and expanded machine-readable disclosure.
Additionally, the validation process called for greater openness regarding the environmental and social impacts of mining, including environmental monitoring, social and environmental expenditure, and the effects of artisanal and small-scale mining operations.
“A score is not a reform,” Miamen said, stressing that the score represents a measurement of progress at a particular moment.
According to him, the value of the achievement depends on whether corrective actions identified in the validation report are implemented before the next assessment and whether the gains are sustained despite changes in personnel.
CENTAL is therefore calling on LEITI to publish a costed and time-bound implementation plan addressing the recommendations contained in the validation report.
The organization also urged the Legislature and development partners to provide the resources needed to implement the recommendations.
Miamen further called for greater transparency and accountability in contract negotiations, renegotiations, monitoring and oversight processes within the extractive sector.
He said stronger transparency mechanisms are necessary to ensure that the Liberian public receives value for money and maximum impact and benefits from the country’s extractive operations and resources.
