Liberian President Establishes Task Force to Recover Misappropriated State Assets

Liberian President Orders Crackdown on Corruption, Establishes Task Force to Retrieve Misappropriated State Assets”

Liberian President Joseph Boakai has taken decisive action against corruption by issuing an executive order aimed at identifying and recovering stolen state assets. The order, issued on Wednesday, sets up a task force empowered with legal authority and state funding to investigate and reclaim government assets acquired through illicit means, with the intention of prosecuting both current and former officials complicit in corrupt practices.

The presidency stated that the task force will be tasked with seeking the extradition of suspects involved in the misappropriation of state assets. While the statement did not name any specific suspects or provide an estimate of the losses incurred by the state, it emphasized the urgent need to address the widespread issue of converting public assets into private holdings by individuals entrusted with positions of authority.

President Boakai, who assumed office in January after defeating his predecessor George Weah in November elections, campaigned on a platform focused on combating endemic corruption and improving the living standards of Liberia’s population, the majority of whom live below the poverty line.

In February, President Boakai initiated an audit of three government institutions, including the central bank, covering the period from 2018 to 2023. The investigation, expected to conclude within three months, aims to uncover any irregularities and malpractices within these institutions.

While acknowledging positive reforms introduced by Weah’s administration in 2022-2023, anti-corruption watchdog Transparency International (TI) highlighted the persistence of high levels of impunity for corruption in Liberia. This observation was reflected in Liberia’s ranking of 145 out of 180 countries on TI’s Corruption Perceptions Index in 2023.

As of now, there has been no response from representatives of former President George Weah regarding President Boakai’s executive order.