Liberia’s House of Representatives is currently conducting an investigation into how the asset declaration documents of former President George Weah were leaked to the public.
In Liberia, all senior government officials, including presidents, are required to declare their wealth to the Liberia Anti-Corruption Commission (LACC) upon taking office. This measure is intended to prevent conflicts of interest and the illicit accumulation of wealth. However, the disclosure of these declarations to the public is not mandatory.
It has been reported that the asset declaration documents of the former president were made public without his consent, sparking concerns about the legality of such actions
Local legislator Frank Saah Foko remarked that “Weah’s asset declaration form is now all in the public space and on various platforms.” The unauthorized publication of the former president’s declared assets has raised questions about the privacy and security of such information.
The source of the leak remains unknown, prompting legislators to summon senior LACC officials to testify before lawmakers on the matter. President Joseph Boakai, who succeeded Mr. Weah in a run-off election last November, publicly declared his assets in February as part of his commitment to combating corruption in the country.
During Mr. Weah’s presidency, allegations of corruption and criticisms of the excesses of senior officials were prevalent. Following Mr. Boakai’s inauguration earlier this year, he called on former officials to return government assets in their possession promptly.
The leak of George Weah’s asset declaration documents has reignited discussions on transparency, accountability, and the fight against corruption in Liberia.
