The Unity Party (UP) says it welcomes the ongoing probe of what seems to be a fraudulent act said to have been uncovered and published by FrontPage Africa, an online news magazine.

The publication names some key government officials and others allegedly linked to the country's maritime agreement negotiations with LISCR.

A statement issued last evening, quoting the secretariat of the party as lauding the swift move by government to probe the allegation.

UP, according to the statement reiterated its unflinching pledge and commitment to uproot the culture of corruption and impunity as demonstrably affirmed by its practice and institution of democratic good governance as the basis for restoring dignity and integrity to our governance system.

While it says it welcomes the ongoing probe, the UP has rejected calls by the Congress for Democratic Change (CDC) and the Liberty Party for an international probe into the alleged fraud without first ensuring that national channels and instrument have exhausted, as prudently required under best practices.

The party urged the leaders of the CDC and Liberty Party not to circumvent the ongoing probe by insinuating the lack of confidence in the legal and constitutional channels, which have been restored under this Government.

In its statement, the UP stressed further that consistent with its 2005 platform, President Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf remains resolute and undeterred about her virulent unleash against corruption and is therefore supportive of this and other future probes into any acts attributable to members of her administration.

"The Party's firm conviction is evidenced by the President's proven and time-tested integrity not only as an advocate of good governance and rule of law but also her selfless leadership in promoting transparency, accountability and responsibility throughout this administration," it said.

"True to these principles, the World Bank Institute released the worldwide governance indicators showcasing the extent to which Liberia has succeeded in combating corruption than any other country over the last two years."

According to the UP statement under the signature of Secretary General, Henry Fahnbulleh, recent efforts by our Standard Bearer and President of Liberia to successfully renegotiate the Firestone and Mittal Steel concessions are clear manifestations of her ardent conviction to raise the standard of living of the citizenry.

"It is therefore ludicrous for any political party or institution to propose measures that ignore national mechanism which has been tested and proven to be effective in undertaken more complicated legal and judicial processes without fear or favor," the statement concluded.