Monrovia — In the wake of recent revelations from high-level government sources that President Joseph Nyuma Boakai is poised to take strong administrative action against certain officials upon his return from the United States, the Center for Transparency and Accountability in Liberia (CENTAL) has called on the president to act against Commerce Minister Amin Modad for violating the 2024 Budget Law.
On September 23, 2024, the Liberian media reported allegations of a suspicious US$150,000 request by the Ministry of Commerce to the Liberia Revenue Authority (LRA) to purchase a vehicle for Minister Modad.
Following the report, the LRA clarified that the actual funds approved were US$96,000, not the US$150,000 initially reported. The LRA explained that the amount was intended for capacity building within the ministry, specifically for the purchase of vehicles to be used for trade-related activities.
The LRA further explained that the funding was made possible through custom service fees collected by MedTech, pursuant to Section 1822 of the Liberia Revenue Code as amended.
However, addressing a news conference on Thursday, October 3, 2024, in Monrovia, CENTAL's Program Manager, Atty. Gerald D. Yeakula, expressed concern over why funds meant for capacity building in trade were instead used to purchase a luxury vehicle for Minister Modad.
"CENTAL believes that such funds should have been used to build the capacity of relevant departments at the ministry," Yeakula stated, adding that the purchase violates Section 8(n) of the 2024 Budget Law.
The law stipulates that "All procurement of vehicles in this year 2024, except for the President, Vice President, Speaker, Pro-Tempore, Deputy Speaker, and the Chief Justice of Liberia, shall not exceed US$45,000 at duty paid. These measures shall apply to all state-owned enterprises."
Atty. Yeakula stressed that Minister Modad's expenditure not only violates the law but also constitutes an abuse of state resources that could have been used to improve the lives of the Liberian people.
"CENTAL therefore calls on President Boakai to take administrative action against Minister Modad for violating the 2024 Budget Law," Yeakula emphasized. He also urged the president to commission an independent investigation into the alleged misuse of resources by the minister.
According to Yeakula, this step would further strengthen processes related to the management and use of fees generated through customs services.
In addition, CENTAL called on President Boakai to immediately suspend officials of the Executive Branch who have violated the law by failing to declare their assets, including incomes and liabilities.
"We call on citizens to demand that lawmakers declare their assets as a crucial component of public service," Atty. Yeakula urged. He also called on the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court and the Legislature to enforce compliance among officials of the Judiciary.
He recalled that the Liberia Anti-Corruption Commission (LACC) recently reported a significant number of government officials who were non-compliant with the asset declaration requirement, as mandated by law.
According to a statement by the LACC, although 1,900 government employees and public officials were required to declare their assets, only 26.5% had complied by July 31, 2024.
The LACC further revealed that 73.5% of government officials, including those appointed by the President, were non-compliant. Among the 73 elected Representatives in the Legislative Branch, only 26 complied, while 47 were non-compliant.
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In the Senate, of the 30 elected Senators, only 12 complied with the law, while 18 failed to declare their assets. Additionally, none of the 44 administrative staff members of the Senate complied.
In the Executive Branch, of the 1,281 officials required to declare their assets, only 322 were fully compliant, while 959 were non-compliant.
Within the Judiciary, out of 333 individuals required to declare, only 29 officials complied, including seven judges and 21 administrative staff, demonstrating their commitment to transparency, while 305 were non-compliant.
"We believe that the failure of these officials to declare their assets over the past months amounts to a flagrant disregard for the law," Atty. Yeakula said. On behalf of CENTAL, he called on the Legislature to consider tougher measures to enforce compliance within the Judiciary, including impeachment where necessary.
