Monrovia: Increase budgetary support for integrity institutions, CENTAL urges Legislature

By Bridgett Milton

Monrovia: The joint civil society anti-corruption initiative (JOCSAI) in collaboration with the Center for Transparency and Accountability in Liberia (CENTAL) has petitioned the 54^th National Legislature to increase budgetary support and allocation to government integrity institutions here.

The group specifically called for support to the Liberia Anti-Corruption Commission (LACC), General Auditing Commission (GAC), Public Procurement and Concession Commission (PPCC), Liberia Extractives Industries Transparency Initiative (LEITI) and other public integrity institutions to enable them to function properly and at full capacity and timely act on audit reports submitted by the General Auditing

Commission.  They also called on the Legislature to lead by example by welcoming and facilitating a financial audit of its financial records covering the last unaudited years.

According to JOCSAI, corruption, defined by Transparency International as the abuse of entrusted power and authority for private gain, is pervasive in Liberia and believed to be one of the major causes of the

Country’s gross underdevelopment and poverty-stricken conditions of its citizens, despite being naturally endowed.

It noted that the Government of Liberia, supported by international partners, citizens, and other stakeholders has established key anti-graft institutions and passed Code of Conduct for Public Officials, Freedom of Information, and other laws; signed up to key international anti-corruption frameworks such as United Nations Convention Against Corruption and African Union Convention on Preventing and Combating Corruption as well as developed the Pro-Poor Agenda

for Prosperity and Development (PAPD), particularly Pillar 4 on Governance and Transparency to fight against Corruption in Liberia.

 “The fight against corruption in Liberia is challenged and undermined by several factors, including but not limited to low budgetary and logistical support to public integrity institutions, weak enforcement of anti-corruption laws and policies, the absence and limitation of key laws and institutions for dealing with corruption in Liberia, and limited political will to decisively act against public officials and other individuals at the center of grave incidences/allegations of corruption”, it said.

According to them, said fighting against Corruption requires a multi-dimensional approach, encompassing prevention, prosecution, and partnership that combine different elements to curb the menace of corruption that has plagued the country for so long.

At the same time, the group also wants the Legislature to speedily pass into law a bill to establish a special court to try all corruption-related cases. Editing by Jonathan Browne