Liberian President Joseph Boakai has taken a decisive step in his anti-corruption drive by suspending more than 450 government-appointed officials for failing to declare their assets.
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The Liberia Anti-Corruption Commission (LACC) identified 457 officials, including high-ranking figures such as the minister responsible for the budget and several ambassadors, who did not meet the asset declaration deadline set for November.
The suspended officials will forfeit their salaries for a month or until they comply with the asset declaration requirements. This move aligns with Liberia’s legal mandate, which obliges public officials to disclose their financial assets upon assuming and leaving office.
Boakai, who assumed the presidency in November 2023, has emphasized his commitment to transparency, governance, and the rule of law. His administration views non-compliance with asset declaration as a serious threat to accountability and the fight against corruption.
Liberia, a nation of five million people still recovering from civil conflicts and the 2014 Ebola outbreak, struggles with widespread corruption. Transparency International ranks the country 135th out of 180 on its corruption perception index.
This latest action follows Boakai’s recent suspension of Rostalyn Suakoko Dennis, the president of the National Oil Company of Liberia (NOCAL), over corruption allegations.
