Monrovia, Liberia – The US$10 million Foya project in Lofa County has sparked a new controversy. Movement for Progressive Change (MPC) political leader Simeon C.M. Freeman has accused President Joseph N. Boakai of financial mismanagement, poor leadership, and undue executive control over the Legislature.
Speaking to reporters on Wednesday, December 24, 2025, Freeman claimed that the President’s public admission of ignorance about the initiative raises “more questions than answers” and amounts to an acknowledgement that senior officials can spend millions of dollars without the president’s approval.
According to the MPC political leader, the Foya project shows serious shortcomings in Liberia’s public finance management system and damages the reputation of a president who ran on a platform of almost fifty years of government experience.
He explained, “The President was elected on the promise of experience and competence, but if US$10 million can be spent on a major project without his knowledge, then that is not experience, that is an admission of lack of control over government.”
Freeman also questioned the project’s changing justifications, pointing out that the Ministry of Information initially referred to it as a Mano River Union (MRU) initiative before reclassifying it as a Government of Liberia project. According to him, additional investigation showed that the project was reportedly given to a contractor connected to the President, did not go through the Public Procurement and Concessions Commission (PPCC), and lacked public bidding.
He claims that rather than resolving public anxiety, the President’s statement distancing himself from the initiative just makes it worse.“Who authorized the spending?” he asked. Which organization provided the funding? And who are the officials that have access to such funds?
According to Freeman, if the President was genuinely unaware, he need to identify the culprits, fire them, and hand them over to the Ministry of Justice and the Liberia Anti-Corruption Commission. He countered that all public cash must be put into the Consolidated Fund under Liberia’s Public Financial Management (PFM) Law and can only be expended through parliamentary appropriation.
Any US$10 million spent outside of that procedure, according to the MPC political leader, is a grave infraction that calls for a legislative investigation and potential impeachment. He also chastised the President for what he called “selective accountability,” dismissing lower-level officials for misbehavior but doing nothing to confront top officials who were reportedly involved in dubious financial transactions.
Freeman stated, “You cannot claim to fight corruption while protecting those closest to power.”
In response to the government’s insistence that the project was not meant to be a private presidential retreat, Freeman suggested that the site be transformed into a public housing estate for Foya people, claiming that this would show benevolence and transparency. Additionally, he questioned President Boakai’s declaration that he plans to retire in Foya, pointing out that the President had access to significant public resources throughout his 12-year tenure as Vice President.
