By Amos Harris
MONROVIA — The Center for Transparency and Accountability in Liberia (CENTAL) is mounting fresh pressure on the Liberian Legislature to urgently pass a draft law seeking the establishment of a specialized National Anti-Corruption Court, warning that corruption and financial mismanagement continue to erode public trust and threaten national development.
Speaking at a press conference in Monrovia on Wednesday, May 27, 2026, CENTAL Executive Director Anderson Miamen described the proposed court as a long-overdue mechanism needed to confront what he called Liberia’s deepening culture of impunity. He argued that the absence of a dedicated anti-corruption court has allowed many high-profile corruption allegations involving public officials to linger unresolved for years.
CENTAL praised President Joseph Nyuma Boakai for submitting the draft legislation to the National Legislature, but stressed that the Executive’s action alone is insufficient unless lawmakers move swiftly to debate and pass the bill into law. The organization warned that repeated political promises to fight corruption have produced little tangible accountability.
According to CENTAL, the proposed Anti-Corruption Court would have exclusive jurisdiction over corruption-related crimes and would help fast-track the prosecution of officials accused of looting public resources. The institution maintained that Liberia’s existing judicial system has struggled to effectively prosecute corruption cases because of overcrowded court dockets, prolonged legal delays, and weak enforcement structures.
The anti-graft institution noted that despite the creation of several accountability institutions and the passage of whistleblower and witness protection laws, corruption cases often collapse or disappear from public attention without prosecution. CENTAL said this trend has weakened public confidence in Liberia’s governance system and emboldened those accused of abusing state resources.
The organization also credited the Office for the Establishment of the War and Economic Crimes Court for working with stakeholders in drafting the legislation. However, CENTAL cautioned that the proposed court could become ineffective if it is not granted genuine independence and sufficient financial support to operate free from political interference.
CENTAL further called on ordinary Liberians, civil society organizations, and the media to intensify pressure on both the Executive and the Legislature to ensure the court is established. The organization argued that Liberia cannot continue preaching transparency while corruption allegations involving powerful officials remain unresolved for years without meaningful action.
The institution’s latest statement comes against the backdrop of growing public outrage over findings from a recent compliance audit conducted by the General Auditing Commission (GAC), which reportedly exposed serious discrepancies in government revenue collection and reconciliation processes between July 2018 and December 2024.
According to CENTAL, the audit uncovered major gaps involving government transitory and consolidated bank accounts, including discrepancies between revenue recorded in the Tax Administration System and actual deposits made into the government’s Consolidated Revenue Account at the Central Bank of Liberia. The findings reportedly included unauthorized withdrawals, delayed remittances, irregular reversal transactions, and inconsistencies between customs billing systems and payment records.
CENTAL expressed alarm over revelations that more than US$257 million and over L$23 billion recorded in transitory accounts could not be traced to the government’s General Revenue Account. The institution described the situation as evidence of systemic weaknesses that continue to expose public funds to theft, abuse, and corruption.
The organization also criticized the continued practice of tax collectors in rural Liberia handling large volumes of cash for long periods before remitting the money to government accounts. CENTAL warned that such practices create opportunities for manipulation, diversion of public funds, and lack of accountability in revenue collection processes.
While acknowledging recent reform measures announced jointly by the Ministry of Finance and Development Planning, the Liberia Revenue Authority, and the Central Bank of Liberia, CENTAL argued that the reforms appear more focused on preventing future irregularities rather than addressing past abuses and recovering missing public funds.
The institution insisted that the Liberian public deserves clear answers regarding the reported missing funds and audit irregularities. CENTAL is now calling on the Joint Public Accounts Committee of the Legislature to immediately conduct transparent public hearings into the audit findings and publicly disclose the outcome of its investigations.
In addition, the organization urged the Liberia Anti-Corruption Commission and the Ministry of Justice to launch criminal investigations into all reported discrepancies and prosecute individuals found responsible for financial misconduct or abuse of public resources.
CENTAL concluded by urging the Liberian government to regularly update citizens on efforts to recover missing funds, implement audit recommendations, and strengthen safeguards surrounding state revenues. The institution warned that failure to act decisively could further damage public confidence in government and weaken Liberia’s anti-corruption fight.
Executive Director Anderson Miamen maintained that Liberia’s development agenda cannot succeed if public resources intended for roads, healthcare, education, and other essential services continue to disappear through corruption and financial mismanagement.
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