The Liberia Anti-Corruption Commission (LACC) convened a consultative meeting on Wednesday, November 20, 2024, to officially launch its Asset Declaration Verification Process, targeting 175 public officials from current and previous administrations.
The one-day event brought together key stakeholders, including representatives from the Liberia Revenue Authority (LRA) and the Liberia Business Registry (LBR), to foster inter-agency collaboration to enhance transparency and accountability within Liberia’s public sector.
LACC’s Acting Executive Director, Mr. James K. Kingsley, underscored the significance of collaboration in ensuring a credible verification process. “Accurate verification of declared assets requires cooperation among institutions to build public trust,” he stated.
Ms. Vivian S. Akoto, Executive Assistant and Program Manager to the LACC Executive Chairperson, provided an overview of the initiative. She revealed that discrepancies identified during the verification process would be made public, and false declarations would be referred to the Monitoring and Investigation Department for further action.
The LACC and the Government of Liberia are funding the verification process, which runs from November 25, 2024, to January 31, 2025. Various partners expressed their support for the initiative, with LRA’s Assistant Commissioner for Professional Ethics, Mr. Sumo Kalaplee, commending the LACC’s efforts. Kalaplee highlighted that the LRA already requires its employees to declare assets and is eager to see these declarations thoroughly verified.
The LBR and other agencies also pledged to provide resources, such as cross-referencing financial, property, and business ownership records with institutions like the Liberia Land Authority and the Ministry of Transport.
The verification process will involve detailed reviews of asset declarations, field assessments, and cross-checking financial records. Any violations discovered will be addressed under the New LACC Act of 2022.
The meeting concluded with a collective commitment from all stakeholders to ensure the initiative’s success. According to the LACC, promoting accountability and ethical standards through such measures will help restore public trust and strengthen governance in Liberia’s public institutions.
This initiative emphasizes the LACC’s ongoing efforts to combat corruption and uphold transparency in Liberia, setting a critical precedent for public sector integrity.
