The Witness Protection Agency (WPA), in collaboration with the Ministry of Justice, has intensified its engagement with lawmakers and international development partners as Liberia advances major legislative reforms to safeguard witnesses, whistleblowers, and victims.
The Agency recently hosted a high-level legislative roundtable with relevant committees of the National Legislature to review proposed amendments to the Witness Protection Act of 2021 and the Whistleblower Protection Act of 2021. The session convened lawmakers, government officials, anti-corruption bodies, civil society organizations, media representatives, and international partners to evaluate and address operational gaps in the nation’s current legal framework.
Speaking during the consultation, WPA Director Cllr. Teklo Maxwell Grigsby II explained that while both laws were passed in 2021, the Agency remained largely non-functional for years due to a lack of leadership, personnel, operational systems, and resources. Meaningful momentum began in late 2025 following the recruitment and appointment of executive leadership, paving the way for staff onboarding and system development.
Despite this progress, Grigsby highlighted lingering structural challenges, particularly the heavy concentration of WPA services in Monrovia, which leaves rural citizens with limited access to protection despite possessing critical evidence for national accountability and criminal prosecutions.
The proposed legislative amendments aim to merge and expand the Agency’s scope to explicitly cover whistleblowers while fortifying protection mechanisms for witnesses and victims. Key additions include harsher penalties for retaliation or the unauthorized disclosure of protected identities, provisions for relocation, identity concealment, psychosocial support, improved cybersecurity safeguards, financial incentives for credible whistleblowers, and the creation of a dedicated victim-focused trust fund.
This reform drive aligns with a March 25, 2026 Cabinet directive from President Joseph Nyuma Boakai Sr., which instructed authorities to revamp the Whistleblower Protection Act to curb smuggling and boost transparency, particularly within Liberia’s lucrative mineral sector. Technical reviews began in May 2026 with the Ministry of Justice, leading to broad stakeholder consultations on board composition, leadership removal protocols, qualification criteria, and implementation timelines.
Endorsing the initiative, Speaker of the House of Representatives Richard Nagbe Koon stated that protecting whistleblowers aligns directly with the Legislature’s mandate to safeguard citizens and uphold justice. He noted that corruption and organized crime are frequently uncovered by brave individuals, but citizens will remain silent if the state fails to guarantee their safety.
Speaker Koon underscored that a robust protection framework is vital to the success of emerging justice mechanisms, including a proposed Anti-Corruption Court and the War and Economic Crimes Court. He stressed that the credibility of these bodies hinges on whether witnesses can testify without fear of harm, calling on all three branches of government, civil society, and the press to support the legislative process.
The WPA clarified that the engagement was designed to gather rigorous feedback and recommendations rather than immediate endorsement. The consolidated findings will form a comprehensive stakeholder report to guide the draft bill as it moves toward formal consideration in the National Legislature.
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