Monrovia, Liberia – Liberia’s integrity institutions have warned that money laundering, unlawful financial crimes, and corruption are silently stifling the nation’s progress. In the fight against misconduct, they have called both locals and students to assume personal accountability.
Officials from the Financial Intelligence Agency (FIA), the Office of the Ombudsman, the Governance Commission, and private sector partner African Global Logistics (AGL) stressed that the fight against corruption must start with individual decisions, even when no one is looking, during a one-day celebration of International Anti-Corruption Day in Monrovia.
FIA’s Technical Officer Mohamed Nassar gave one of the most insightful speeches at the celebration on Tuesday, December 9, 2025, outlining Liberia’s 21 predicate money laundering offenses. He cautioned that a risky economy of “dirty money” is being fueled by illicit earnings from crimes like human trafficking, tax offenses, fraud, corruption, abduction, and counterfeit money operations.
“Any money used to carry out harm, terrorism, illegal arms, trafficking, bribery, is dirty money. Our job is to chase it, trace it, and send it for prosecution. We don’t arrest, but we expose,” Nassar told the students.
He warns that if Liberia fails to conform to international anti-money laundering regulations, it could end up on the FATF gray or black list, which could seriously impair the nation’s financial system and hinder international trade. A representative for the company that sponsored a portion of the event, Philippe Labonne, CEO of African Global Logistics, reiterated the responsibility of the private sector to uphold ethical business practices and transparency.
“Trust can only be sustained through uncompromising integrity,” adding that corruption undermines trade and erodes investor confidence; Labonne said.
Also, the head of the Governance Commission, Jallah Kesselly voiced similar concerns, reminding students that growth, public trust, and the achievement of the government’s ARREST Agenda all depend on eliminating corruption at every level of society. However, the organizers invited students to participate, ask questions, and maintain moral behavior in both public and private settings, encouraging them to view themselves as future stewards of Liberia’s political system.
The event concluded with a commitment from the Office of the Ombudsman to support students returning to their campuses and with renewed calls to build a Liberia where integrity becomes a shared national value.
Reported by: Prince Saah
