Monrovia, Liberia – Following accusations of financial and other malpractices at the FIA, President Joseph Nyuma Boakai, Sr. has suspended Mr. Stanley Ford, Director General of the Financial Intelligence Agency (FIA), with immediately effect.
In light of the President’s stated policy that no malpractice will be tolerated, the Ministry of Justice has been instructed to conduct a thorough inquiry into the situation. Insuring that justice is done, the president expressed confidence that the investigation will ensure that justice is served.
Additionally, in an effort to ensure a speedy resolution, the President has urged Mr. Ford to participate completely and submit to the investigation.
The Center for Transparency and Accountability in Liberia demanded that Mr. Ford be suspended immediately due to his suspected involvement in a corruption scandal during a news conference on Thursday, March 28, 2024 in Monrovia.
President Boakai suspended the head of the FIA effective immediately on Friday, March 29, 2024, one day after the organization’s call through Executive Director Anderson Miamen.
The Front Page Africa newspaper published a story on February 27, 2024, to which the Liberia Anti-Corruption Commission (LACC) responded. Concerns were expressed about possible financial misconduct involving Mr. Stanley Ford, the Financial Intelligence Agency’s (FIA) director general, in the article “Liberia: Financial Intelligence Agency’s Financial Activities Show Entity Received US$500K, Withdrew All Same Day.”
The report stated that on September 22, 2023, Mr. Stanley Ford received US$599k. That same day, he swiftly withdrew the monies using a check made out to the entity’s comptroller, D.M.P. Cooper. The LACC promptly opened an investigation in response to these claims and called in the pertinent parties for an initial examination at the Commission’s headquarters.
