Monrovia, Liberia – Former Liberian president Ellen Johnson Sirleaf has pledged her support for the establishment of the National Anti-Corruption Court. The former Liberian leader called on President Joseph Nyuma Boakai to pay particular attention to the proposed National Anti-Corruption Court, stating that Liberia must improve its accountability system by making sure corruption cases are resolved promptly and credibly.
In her keynote speech at the National Anti-Corruption Policy Dialogue in Monrovia, Madam Sirleaf stated that filling a significant gap in Liberia’s battle against corruption will require the creation of a specialized anti-corruption court. Government representatives, civil society organizations, and development partners participated in the discussion, which had as its theme “Strengthening Transparency and Accountability in Liberia through the Establishment of a Specialized National Anti-Corruption Court.”
In retrospect, Sirleaf noted that Liberia was “a nation where corruption was largely the operating system” when she took office in 2006. The General Auditing Commission Act, the Internal Audit Agency, the Public Procurement and Concessions Commission, the Financial Intelligence Agency, and the Liberia Anti-Corruption Commission (LACC) in 2008 were among the reforms she highlighted as being implemented during her presidency.
As part of initiatives to advance accountability and openness in public financial management, she also mentioned the Open Budget Initiative. Sirleaf admitted that her administration was unable to alter public perceptions of corruption in spite of those efforts. She said, “We created institutions, but we didn’t alter people’s perspectives.”
The former president claims that organisations that look into corruption but don’t get convictions are ineffective in stopping it. According to her, it is a country that recognises the illness but is unable to treat it.
According to Sirleaf, corruption cases frequently lose steam once they enter the legal system due to competition from other civil and criminal cases. This causes protracted delays and, in certain situations, cases that vanish from court dockets. She cautioned that many Liberians believe corruption is probed but rarely prosecuted, which has led to a credibility deficit.
A specialised anti-corruption court, according to Sirleaf, will improve enforcement by guaranteeing that corruption charges are decided in a fair, competent, and timely manner. According to her, investments in roads, power, and other public services are just as crucial to Liberia’s prosperity as the proposed court.
The former president also applauded the War and Economic Crimes Court’s establishment and called for its continued independence, lack of political meddling, and sufficient funding. Sirleaf urged President Boakai to take the necessary executive steps to further the idea and to consider the proposal for the specialised anti-corruption court with the urgency it merits.
She also called on members of the National Legislature to show leadership in the battle against corruption and asked the Supreme Court to improve the judiciary’s performance. Sirleaf encouraged the Center for Democratic Governance, Naymote Partners for Democratic Development, and the Center for Transparency and Responsibility in Liberia (CENTAL) to extend their programmes to more counties and praised them for encouraging responsibility through civic education.
She commended Liberia’s foreign allies for their support of anti-corruption efforts and advised companies to abstain from bribing public officials. Speaking directly to Liberians, Sirleaf stated that until citizens reject corrupt practices and demand responsibility from public officials at all levels of government, laws and specialised courts alone will not be able to eradicate corruption.
She concluded her speech by stating that since 2006, Liberia has achieved democratic transitions of power, improved transparency, restored peace, and established accountability structures. Madam Sirleaf emphasized, however, that the nation must now finish its anti-corruption programme by making sure that corruption is uncovered, remedial measures are implemented, and justice is administered promptly, equitably, and consistently. Sirleaf said Liberia has to be better. To accomplish this, Liberia needs all of us.
