-For indirectly endorsing corruption
By Jerromie S. Walters
Liberia’s President Joseph Nyuma Boakai is being brutally criticized for endorsing acts of corruption, as he encouraged government officials to at least invest their ill-gotten wealth to help other Liberians.
Corruption is deeply entrenched at every level of Liberian society, positioning Liberia as one of the most politically corrupt nations globally. But it appears that this slipped off the President’s mind when he spoke in Lofa earlier today.
Following President Boakai’s controversial remarks, Anderson Moamen, Executive Director of the Center for Transparency and Accountability (CENTAL), expressed his dismay: “Liberian president, Joseph Nyuma Boakai, Sr. embarrassingly endorses corruption. Please listen to the audio-visual material below. A sitting president and professed integrity champion encouraging his officials of government to steal and bless their people? You really mean this, President Boakai? Is this what you say or encourage your officials to do, especially after Liberia’s eligibility for a new MCC Compact?”
He emphasized, “This is so embarrassing and totally contrary to the president’s so-called anti-corruption promises and commitments. I am seriously disappointed.” Like Moamen and hundreds of other Liberians, Hassan Sheriff stated, “The president is authorizing his appointees to steal, but they should use it in Liberia.” Bazilian Kay also expressed his opinion on the president’s comment. “President Boakai and his rescue team are doing times ten of what they criticized in the last six years.”
As the backlash continues, the president’s office has yet to issue a clarification regarding his remarks, leaving more room for others to interpret it as they understand it.
The President’s comment
Speaking at an event in his home county of Lofa on Christmas Eve, President Boakai stated: “So, we want to encourage those who want to remain corrupt and steal money, I beg, the money should be used to bless our people.”
The remarks have drawn parallels to similar controversial comments made by former Minister of State for Presidential Affairs, Nathaniel McGill, in August 2022. At the time, the former minister, now Margibi County Senator Nathaniel F. McGill stated that looting government coffers and investing the proceeds in personal infrastructure projects within Liberia was “a good thing.”
His comments, made to a group of women in Bong County, sparked widespread condemnation, including from President Boakai’s Unity Party, then serving as the main opposition. Now, almost a year into his presidency, President Boakai appears to have echoed the same belief. This has drawn criticism for seemingly downplaying the gravity of corruption.
Corruption in Liberia
This pervasive issue is compounded by the fact that corruption is not explicitly classified as a punishable crime under Liberian law, further entrenching the culture of impunity in the country.
According to Transparency International’s 2023 Corruption Perceptions Index, Liberia scored a dismal 25 on a scale ranging from 0 (“highly corrupt”) to 100 (“very clean”). In terms of global rankings, Liberia placed 145th out of 180 countries, where the top-ranked country is perceived to have the most honest public sector.
How Corruption affected Weah’s Presidency
On January 22, 2018, a jubilant crowd welcomed George Weah to the Samuel K. Doe Sports Complex in Paynesville, just outside Liberia’s capital, filled with hope for a transformative administration. However, nearly six years later, the country’s most celebrated citizen became increasingly unpopular. He later lost the presidential vote to now President Joseph Nyuma Boakai.
From the outset, corruption became synonymous with Weah’s administration. Just nine months into his presidency, reports emerged regarding the alleged disappearance of 15.5 billion Liberian dollars (approximately US$96 million at the time) in banknotes—an amount equivalent to about five percent of the country’s gross domestic product.
An inquiry conducted by Kroll, a Philadelphia-based firm funded by the U.S. government, revealed that the banknotes had not gone missing but had been illegally printed. The investigation also uncovered that an excess of US$16.5 million had been printed and remained unaccounted for.
Two months before the missing banknotes scandal, Weah had injected US$25 million into the economy to withdraw excess Liberian dollars from circulation. In a national address, he claimed this move would curb inflation and stabilize the depreciating Liberian currency. However, this initiative led to another scandal: an examination by Liberia’s General Auditing Commission found several discrepancies in the disbursements, with some funds unaccounted for and transactions made at rates not approved by the government.
Amid the corruption allegations, the United States sanctioned three senior members of Weah’s government: Nathaniel McGill, Minister of State; Bill Twehway, Managing Director of the Freeport of Monrovia; and Serenius Cephas, Solicitor General. They were sanctioned for “their involvement in public sector corruption in Liberia.” Although the trio resigned from their positions, no prosecutions followed.
