Monrovia, Liberia — Questions are mounting over whether any stolen or misappropriated assets will be recovered this fiscal year after it emerged that the national draft budget contains no allocation for the country’s Asset Recovery Task Force.
Chairman of the Task Force, Cllr. Edwin Kla Martin, expressed concern over the omission, calling it a major setback to ongoing efforts to repatriate millions of dollars in stolen assets.
“Somebody sent me the draft budget and nothing is in it, and I think it is an oversight,” Martin wrote. “The guys need to revisit the budget to ensure that we are adequately supported. We pay for intelligence, and we are also challenged logistically.”
Martin revealed that the task force is currently pursuing a high-profile case at the British High Court, which could result in the recovery of US$8 million for Liberia. “We are making our case there, and I should be going to make the case,” he added.
The lack of funding raises concerns about the government’s commitment to asset recovery and anti-corruption efforts, especially as Liberia continues to face mounting fiscal pressures and public demands for transparency.
Officials from the Ministry of Finance and Development Planning have not yet commented on whether the omission was an oversight or a deliberate decision.
This is a developing story.
