Minister Stevquoah to Review.
Monrovia, Liberia – President Joseph Nyuma Boakai’s Unity Party-led administration, which was elected on the platform of fighting corruption, is currently under intense scrutiny for what critics characterize as selective justice and a high-level internal conspiracy.
A number of public officials have been suspended or fired as a result of President Boakai’s anti-corruption campaign since he took office. However, the integrity of that particular campaign is currently under threat due to the drama that is developing within the Bureau of State Enterprises (BSE).
Varlee Sanor, the BSE’s Deputy Director for Administration, accused Director General Arthur S. Massaquoi of procurement fraud on July 4, 2024. The complaint was investigated by the Liberia Anti-Corruption Commission (LACC).
A year later, Massaquoi, through legal counsel, wrote to the LACC requesting clarity on the outcome. Instead of a response, he was told a new complaint had been filed against him and that the President had instructed another probe even though findings from the first investigation were never published.
Shortly afterward, President Boakai suspended Massaquoi on June 5, 2025, arguing that his continued presence at the BSE could undermine the LACC’s inquiry. Sanor, the complainant, was elevated to Acting Director General.
But Sanor’s brief tenure has since been mired in controversy. Within just three months, he is now facing his own LACC investigation on allegations of financial improprieties, procurement irregularities, and violations of the President’s November 28, 2024 directive banning acting heads from entering into new contractual obligations.
Reports suggest that Sanor hired individuals outside presidential instructions, refused to employ contractors vetted by the Civil Service Agency (CSA), and misapplied institutional funds in violation of Internal Audit Agency (IAA) regulations.
Even more troubling are claims that Sanor openly boasts of being accountable only to President Boakai and Acting Minister of State, Mamaka Bility, under whose direct instructions he claims to operate. Political pundits and civil society activists are now demanding his suspension, insisting that allowing him to remain in office while under investigation undermines the integrity of the anti-corruption drive.
“If Massaquoi was suspended pending investigation, then Sanor should face the same measure,” one analyst argued.
According to credible sources, the LACC has already submitted its report on Massaquoi, which substantially clears him of wrongdoing. However, insiders allege that the report has been deliberately concealed by a confidant within the Executive Mansion to protect tribal and religious interests.
The motive, sources say, is to pave the way for Sanor’s eventual confirmation as Director General of the BSE a move that critics describe as dangerous political manipulation. This alleged conspiracy raises uncomfortable questions about transparency in the Executive Mansion, with Minister of State Without Portfolio Mamaka Bility reportedly at the center of the plot.
If true, it would signal a deliberate attempt to sideline Massaquoi despite his exoneration while shielding Sanor from accountability. Observers warn that the credibility of President Boakai’s anti-corruption campaign is at stake.
“You cannot fight corruption by punishing one man while protecting another who faces the same or even more serious allegations,” one civil society leader remarked.
As the report remains hidden and Sanor continues in office, public trust in the government’s sincerity is eroding. Many argue that the administration risks turning its anti-corruption crusade into a political weapon rather than a tool for justice.
For President Boakai, the choice is clear: act decisively to uphold fairness, transparency, and accountability, or allow suspicions of conspiracy and selective justice to cripple his legacy. The nation now waits for his next move.
