Corruption has long plagued Liberia. Human Rights Watch said corruption was one of the many issues the fueled the country’s civil wars, which ended nearly 22 years ago. An estimated 250,000 people were killed during the wars. Millions were displaced. Although successive governments in the country’s post-war era have suspended, arrested and prosecuted individuals accused of corruption, the issue remains prevalent and deeply entrenched.
By: Yawah Y. Jaivey
A 2024 Transparency International report acknowledged Liberia had made “marginal progress” in fighting corruption, but warned that “impunity remains high.”
Mark Toner, the retiring U.S. Ambassador to Liberia, urged the government in a recent exclusive interview with FrontPage Africa/New Narratives to fast-track prosecutions.
Two parallel efforts to establish anti-corruption courts are now underway: one by the Office of the War and Economic Crimes Court, and the other by the Liberian Anti-Corruption Commission, which has submitted a draft bill for a standalone anti-corruption court to the Legislature. Currently, corruption cases are tried in Criminal Court “C,” which also handles theft, burglary, robbery and narcotics. Advocates argue its crowded docket justifies a separate court.
This story is a collaboration with New Narratives as part of the West Africa Justice Reporting Project. Funding was provided by the Swedish Embassy in Liberia which had no say in the story’s content.
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