AREPT Verifies 27 Ongoing Investigations.
Monrovia, Liberia – The Asset Recovery and Prosperity Retriever Taskforce (AREPT) has verified 27 ongoing audits nationwide in an attempt to track down and retrieve stolen government assets from both current and retired officials.
In response to the Honorable House of Representatives’ request for a comprehensive report on the establishment, operations, advancements, and difficulties of the Asset Recovery and Property Retrieval Taskforce (AREPT), the AREPT team, led by Cllr. Edwin Kla Martin, provided information on Thursday, May 22, 2025.
He stated that the team has finished documenting more than 30 properties that are thought to be linked to illegitimate public riches and that 17 cases are almost finished and awaiting legal action.
Cllr. Edwin went on to say that nations like South Africa, Kenya, and Nigeria have successfully recovered millions of public dollars due to the work of committed local organizations and productive international collaboration in their respective nations.
Cllr. Edwin also underlined that the AREPT team is pushing for the national budget to be quickly reshaped to include the funding required for continuing recovery efforts.
Chairman Martin provided further information, revealing that AREPT has made great strides since President Joseph Nyuma Boakai reauthorized it on March 6, 2025, despite several obstacles. He said that the team has held high-level meetings with the Liberia National Police, the General Auditing Commission (GAC), the Ministry of Justice, and the Governance Commission.
In order to promote transparency, AREPT also signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with the Center for Media Studies and Peacebuilding (CEMESP) to conduct public awareness campaigns, enlisted forensic experts from the United Kingdom, secured international cooperation, including a pledge from the Swedish Ambassador to aid in the recovery of stolen assets located in Sweden, and launched the first edition of its official newsletter.
He further explained that asset recovery is not only a justice mechanism but also a development tool, with every recovered dollar or property directly contributing to Liberia’s national reconstruction. Reclaimed assets can be used to restore roads, hospitals, and schools that were previously abandoned due to stolen resources. Cllr. Edwin gives the government his word that they would work to restore integrity and reclaim public properties that Liberians are wrongly deprived of.
