LCACC set to Launch Transparency & Integrity Index Assessment Handbook…Holds Stakeholders Engagement

LCACC meeting with Independent Information Commission

The LCACC team on Thursday, April 20, 2023 held meetings with the Independent Information Commission (IIC), Governance Commission, and the Liberia Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative at their offices separately to discuss and provide more details on the Transparency & Integrity Index for possibilities in which these institutions can get involved and strengthen collaborations for the full implementation of the project.

The Transparency & Integrity Index seeks to enhance good governance by making public institutions as transparent as possible. The TII also aimed to promote transparency, monitor public sector expenditure and strengthen the integrity mechanism of public institutions in Liberia. LCACC is currently developing a standardized methodology handbook that will be used to assess public sector institutions. The methodology handbook seeks to provide a detailed explanation of the variables and the scoring criteria for the evaluation and assessment of openness and transparency of public institutions.

LCACC meeting wth Governance Commission

As the pioneer edition of the TII in Liberia, the 2023 assessment for Government Ministries, Agencies and Commissions (MACs) and other government institutions will be conducted around the following six (6) thematic areas: Website Integrity, Fiscal Transparency, Open Procurement, Anti-Corruption, Citizens Engagement/ Responsiveness and Human Resources and Inclusion.

LCACC meeting with LEITI

Liberia CSOs Anti-Corruption Coalition with technical support from the Center for Fiscal Transparency & Integrity Watch (CeFTIW-Nigeria) is expected to launch the median edition of its Transparency & Integrity Index (TII) for Liberia. The Transparency & Integrity Index (TII) was born out of the need to strengthen existing preventive mechanisms in combating corruption in Liberia.

LCACC is expected to meet with other public sectors institutions including the Ministry of Finance & Development Planning, Liberia Anti-Corruption Commission, Financial Intelligence Agency of Liberia and the General Auditing Commission.

LCACC, CSO Budget Platform Sensitize Young People on Fiscal Transparency...

Earlier today, the Liberia CSOs Anti-Corruption Coalition under its Budget Transparency Initiative held the 2nd Edition of its Budget Transparency Forum aimed at increasing citizen’s knowledge and participation in the Budget Process. The Forum provided important information to participants including budget cycle, budget transparency, government revenue allocations, and expenditures. The Forum also highlighted the government's priorities in terms of policies and programs for the fiscal year 2022.

The Forum was held under the theme: “Understanding the National Budget” and brought together students and youths, including officials of government, and civil society representatives.

Harold Aidoo, Executive Director Integrity Watch Liberia

Panelists at the event Included Mr. Johnson Williams, Director for Budget Policy & Coordination at the Ministry of Finance who spoke on the Budget Formulation, Processes and Procedures, Mr. Harold Aidoo, Executive Director, Integrity Watch Liberia presented on What constitute a transparent budget and Hon. Richard Nagbe Koon, Representative District # 11, Montserrado County deliberation was focused on Legislative oversight of the National Budget.

The event was held at the J.J Roberts United Methodist High School in Monrovia on July 1. 2022

The event was held with support from the CSO Budget Platform that is been coordinated by Integrity Watch Liberia.

CSO Anti-Corruption Coalition Commend LACC for Investigative Report... Calls for Prosecution

June 28, 2022

PRESS STATEMENT

The Liberia CSOs Anti-Corruption Coalition a conglomeration of eight registered civil Society organizations aimed at promoting fiscal transparency, grass-root advocacy, Public Contract Monitoring, Transparency in Natural Resource Governance, and accountability in local government administration, integrity building and strengthening organizations and anti-corruption activists engagement in the fight against corruption in Liberia, launched in 2019 with support from United States Agency for International Development (USAID) through the Legal Professional Development & Anti-Corruption Program (LPAC).

The Coalition attention has been drawn to key national issues with specifics focuses on the integrity and Anti-Corruption sector of the country.

Few weeks ago, precisely on June 17, 2022, the Liberia Anti-Corruption Commission (LACC) through an exclusive Press Conference release a comprehensive and landmark investigative corruption report covering the following institutions:

1. Ministry of Agriculture (MOA)

2. Liberia Water & Sewer Corporation (LWSC)

3. Liberia Institute for Statistics & Geo-Information Services (LISGIS) and

4. Planned Parenthood Association of Liberia (PPAL) respectively.

The Liberia CSOs Anti-Corruption Coalition after listening to the press conference and acquiring copies of the detailed corruptions reports involving the following institutions named, have come to the following conclusion;

1. That the investigation conducted by the Liberia Anti-Corruption Commission was comprehensive, unbiased, and professional and met best practice and standard; and that findings contained in those reports are evidence-based and sufficient enough to be used for prosecution by the Ministry of Justice.

2. That massive corruption had been carryout at the said institutions including gross violation of our Anti-corruption and integrity laws; PPCC Law, Public Financial Management Law, Code of Conduct, Conflict of Interest, amongst other.

Fellow Liberians, Distinguished members of the Press;

At this juncture, we will highlight and speak to some specifics in the report;

1. Ministry of Agriculture;

· The Minister, Hon. Jeannie M. Cooper, knowingly and consciously awarded a contract of USD$ 180,000.00 to a company that she owned; what was her intent?

· Termination of a professional service consultancy without a justifiable reason against the advice of donor partners and grossly violating the PPCC law to appoint a confidant and relative;

· That the Minister of Agriculture, Honorable Jeannie M. Cooper, open a separate bank account and made her cronies and confidants co signatories and mislead the LACC investigators about the actual intent of the bank account; we strongly believe and it is evident that she was stealing;

· For the LISGIS, we raised the alarm in June of last year and we are grateful that the LACC have now booked senior officials of that institution for massive corruption; including the head of LISGIS Mr. Francis Wreh and his Deputies;

· On the part of the LWCS, We look forward to a speedy prosecution and dismissal of the staff involve in the USD 6,000 corruption saga.

· At PPAL, there has been massive level of conflict of interest that the LACC investigation has uncovered.

We at the Liberia CSOs Anti-Corruption Coalition believes that it is time we all support the LACC in discharge of its statutory functions and responsibilities in fighting corruption especially in the public sector in Liberia.

We want to use this medium to call on individuals and institutions whether in Government or Civil Society who is not knowledgeable about working, processes and procedures of the LACC investigation and prosecutions mechanism should immediately desist from making unfounded and unprofessional comments and statements.

We see these statements and unwarranted attack on the LACC report as a ploy and calculated attempt to undermine the fight against corruption in Liberia.

Member of Press;

The Liberia CSOs Anti-Corruption Coalition is calling on all those named in the report to immediately recue themselves of all official duties of the entity they represent and submit to ministry of Justice to clear their name in the court of competent jurisdiction.

The Coalition will also initiate an effective tracking and monitoring of the process by the Ministry of Justice and the Judiciary.

Before we conclude, let me use this medium to commend the Executive Chairman and the entire staff of the Liberia Anti-Corruption Commission for the level of professionalism implore in the discharge of their duties and functions.

We also want to sound this as a caveat, and let it grip the attention of the Minister and officials at the Ministry of Agriculture, the Director General and Officials of LISGIS, and others named in the LACC corruption investigative report; That the Coalition will initiate massive advocacy campaign utilizing people power approaches, mass citizen action and social media campaign to ensure that officials of government implicated or accuse of corruption should not be in office while going through prosecution.

In other development, the coalition will soon release and published a list of public officials that continue to violate the Asset Declaration Law by not declaring their asset prior to taking office and up to now.

As the Coalition continues to work in promoting transparency and accountability in Liberia, we are calling for the passage of the following enabling legislations so that corruption can be fought at all levels of the society. The Legislations include:

· Direct Prosecutorial powers

· Specialize Court for Corruption

· Witness Protection

· Whistleblower Act

· Complete eradication of the Statute of limitation

· And an amendment to section 10.2 of the Code of Conduct to allow the LACC to be the sole repository of all Assets declared

Signed: James Koryor

National Coordinator