Monrovia, Liberia – Two former high-ranking government officials were each given five years in prison for their roles in the misappropriation of public funds intended for Liberia’s national census in 2022. Former Liberia Institute of Statistics and Geo-Information Services (LISGIS) executives Dominic Paye and Lawrence George were sentenced by Criminal Court “C” presiding judge Ousman Feika. The jury found the two men guilty unanimously, and Judge Feika maintained that decision.
The Liberia Anti-Corruption Commission (LACC) prosecuted the case after an indictment in 2023. Approximately US$1.795 million was allotted for census-related activities between 2019 and 2022 was failed to be adequately accounted for by the officials, according to the LACC.
Along with the jail sentences, the court mandated that George and Paye return US$97,000, which is the remaining amount of the contested funds. Former LISGIS Director General Francis Wreh was one of three co-defendants who previously admitted to the allegations and paid back US$30,898.
The evidence presented throughout the trial revealed procurement issues, unjustified workshop payments, unauthorized compensation, and nonpayment of necessary taxes. In his ruling, Judge Feika stated that the prosecution’s case had not been successfully disputed and that the jury’s unanimous verdict was final.
Observers called the sentencing a major turning point in Liberia’s war on corruption and one of the few times in recent decades that high-ranking government officials have been imprisoned for crimes relating to corruption.
