Published: January 28, 2026
MONROVIA, Liberia -- Liberia's leading anti-corruption watchdog, the Center for Transparency and Accountability in Liberia (CENTAL), has challenged the Boakai administration to move beyond audits and announcements by urgently establishing a specialized anti-corruption court, scrapping the statute of limitations on corruption cases and aggressively recovering stolen public assets at home and abroad.
While acknowledging what it described as "marginal progress" in the fight against corruption, CENTAL warned that delayed accountability, weak enforcement and slow asset recovery continue to undermine public trust and Liberia's development prospects.
SONA Triggers Renewed Scrutiny
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CENTAL's comments followed President Joseph Nyuma Boakai's State of the Nation Address (SONA) delivered Monday, Jan. 26, to the 55th National Legislature in Joint Chambers, in keeping with Article 58 of the 1986 Liberian Constitution.
At a press conference Wednesday, Jan. 28, in Monrovia, CENTAL Executive Director Anderson D. Miamen said the administration has made notable interventions but must now ensure that institutions deliver concrete results.
Audits Completed, Accountability Questioned
Miamen cited several milestones, including the General Auditing Commission's completion of 94 out of 105 audits and a domestic debt audit covering 2018 to 2023 that rejected more than US$704 million in unsupported claims. He also noted that compliance with GAC audit recommendations rose from 13 percent in 2024 to 37 percent in 2025, alongside a near-complete system audit of the House of Representatives from 2021 to 2024.
"CENTAL notes further that these interventions, including efforts by the Public Procurement and Concessions Commission (PPCC) to expand electronic procurement system to over 50 public entities, reflect progress made in the fight against corruption (though marginal)," Miamen said.
Despite those gains, he said accountability remains weak.
Anti-Corruption Court Still Absent
CENTAL raised alarm over what it described as the government's delay in establishing a specialized anti-corruption court to ensure the timely prosecution of corruption cases and hold offenders accountable. It also criticized the continued existence of a five-year statute of limitations on corruption cases, which it said shields perpetrators from justice.
The organization further expressed concern about the slow pace of asset recovery, both financial and non-financial, despite the establishment of the Asset Recovery and Property Retrieval Taskforce (ARPRT).
Asset Recovery Task Force Under Fire
While acknowledging that legal challenges initially affected the work of the task force, Miamen said more than one year of full operation should have produced visible results, especially amid multiple U.S. sanctions against former Liberian officials for significant corruption and several GAC audit reports implicating individuals in financial abuse.
He called for a stronger, better-resourced and more independent asset recovery mechanism.
He urged a more robust, well-financed and independent Asset Recovery Task Force that collaborates with key actors to achieve results and make fraud in government and illicit wealth accumulation "issues of the past" in Liberia.
Legislature Accused of Dragging Its Feet
CENTAL also took aim at the Legislature, particularly its Public Accounts Committees, accusing lawmakers of failing to act decisively on audit findings.
"Even as we applaud the pace of completion of financial and other audits, we have witnessed an unconvincing approach by government actors, especially the Public Account Committees of the Legislature, to expeditiously review and hold those implicated fully accountable," Miamen said.
"When you have findings from critical audits stockpiled on the desk of members of the legislature and the president without the required actions, it affects accountability of those implicated and also renders inconsequential the efforts of the GAC," he added.
Donor Fatigue Raises Stakes
CENTAL warned that Liberia can no longer afford weak accountability systems as donor support continues to decline.
The organization said strong oversight is now critical to ensure the prudent allocation and use of domestic resources, urging the Legislature to make its review and oversight processes more transparent, inclusive and participatory.
It called for meaningful stakeholder engagement in concession reviews, deliberations on key legislation and other decisions affecting citizens.
LACC Faulted Over Asset Verification
CENTAL also expressed deep concern over the Liberia Anti-Corruption Commission's (LACC) failure to publish any asset verification report more than two years after public officials declared their assets, incomes and liabilities.
Miamen said the LACC appears focused on collecting declarations rather than verifying them to identify fraud and discrepancies.
"This is not the true intent of the asset declaration process, whereby LACC cannot produce a single publicly available verification report on exit declarations of officials of the Weah-led administration as well as those of the current regime," he said.
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"We strongly encourage LACC to do the needful, as Liberians more interested in the outcomes of the asset declaration process, rather mere reporting on the number of declarants/compliant officials," he added.
Civil Society Vows Continued Pressure
Miamen said civil society organizations will remain constructively engaged with the government, independently monitor budget implementation and hold institutions accountable to deliver tangible benefits to the public.
He urged the Liberia Anti-Corruption Commission, Internal Audit Agency and other integrity institutions to demonstrate measurable impact.
"While civil society, media and citizens push government for more resources to these integrity institutions, they have to live up to expectation by exceptionally delivering and showing impacts for their current budgetary and other support," he said.
Miamen concluded by calling on the executive, Legislature and Judiciary to coordinate more effectively.
"More so, the President, Legislature and the Judiciary must better coordinate and ensure that the country's anti-corruption and integrity building efforts are more independent, robust, citizens' driven, and impactful in delivering the needed dividends for the people," he said.
