The Assets Recovery and Property Retrieval Task Force (AREPT), once hailed as the tip of the spear in the country’s war on corruption, now stands on the brink of collapse, not due to a failure of mission, “but because of financial abandonment,” a release said.
According to the release, at a time when public trust in governance hangs by a thread and the very credibility of President Joseph Nyuma Boakai’s administration is being tested, the exclusion of this vital taskforce from the 2025 draft national budget is more than an oversight.
“It is a red flag waving in the face of accountability,” the release said.
Cllr. Edwin Kla Martin, who leads the taskforce, did not mince words during his appearance before the House of Representatives (HoR) on May 22.
His message was chillingly clear: “no funding, no fight. The country’s long-standing battle against entrenched corruption is not just about declarations and slogans. It is about institutions with teeth and the resources to bite. With 28 active investigations underway, 17 of which are on the cusp of prosecution, the taskforce has already demonstrated its potential.”
“But without operational support, it risks becoming just another promising initiative strangled by bureaucracy and political indifference,” the release quoted Cllr. Martin.
It is no small feat that this taskforce, established barely a year ago under Executive Order 126, and reaffirmed in 2025 by Order 145, has made meaningful inroads into the country’s murky past and present.
“The cases span businesses, private individuals, and government officials, both current and former. These aren’t speculative witch hunts; they are evidence-driven pursuits of justice.
Thirty properties under investigation for being purchased with stolen funds, 27 theft and economic sabotage cases, and efforts to trace stolen Liberian assets stashed in foreign accounts represent the kind of real work that defines reform.”
“Yet,” the release said, “the government now teeters on the edge of sabotaging its own agenda.
Pres. Boakai’s ARREST framework promised a renewed push for accountability, transparency, and recovery.”
“But it promises are only as credible as the funding that backs them. Excluding the very institution tasked with enforcement from the national budget sends a dangerous message: that anti-corruption may be politically expedient to promote, but too inconvenient to finance.”
“This is not just a procedural lapse. It is a political and moral failing that threatens to erode public confidence in the Boakai administration. The irony is striking. While citizens are being told that the fight against corruption is a top priority, the main engine driving that effort is being left to rust. Even as international partners extend technical assistance and cooperation, the country itself appears unwilling to invest in its own integrity.”
Cllr. Martin’s plea to lift the five-year statute of limitations on corruption cases should not fall on deaf ears. Accountability has no expiration date. Those who looted public resources should not be allowed to hide behind legal time limits. Justice delayed does not have to be justice denied if lawmakers act decisively and responsibly. But that action must begin with the basics: funding.
Source: smartnewsliberia.com
https://shorturl.fm/m8ueY