04/17/2024 – 07:35
— LACC Boss Zoe accuses predecessor Cllr. Verdier of being responsible
Liberia, like many other countries, has some form of asset declaration requirement for public officials, but the declared assets of most essential government officials are often kept confidential and are prohibited from being made public, especially without their consent.
But this was not the case with former President George Weah, as information from his declared assets was recently brought to the public glare by panelists on Spoon Talk, a popular talk show that is hosted on Spoon Online/FM. The disclosure of Weah’s asset information has sparked speculation about the source of the leak, bringing into the limelight the Liberia Anti-Corruption Commission (LACC).
However, the current LACC Executive Chairperson, Cllr. Alexandra Zoe, on Tuesday, April 16, made a statement to the House’s Plenary pointing to the former LACC boss, Cllr. James Verdier as being potentially responsible for this breach.
Zoe mentioned that ongoing investigations are underway to uncover the full extent of the leakages. Preliminary findings suggest that Verdier had requested the asset declarations of the former President and others, contravening LACC’s ethical standards.
Zoe said a preliminary investigation has also established that Cllr. Verdeir requested the Assets Declaration of the former President on February 18, 2019, of which he took delivery of the file, which violates the ethics of the LACC.
The LACC boss indicated further that other prominent figures’ asset declarations, such as former Vice President Jewel Howard-Taylor and former Finance Minister Samuel Tweah, were impacted by similar leaks attributed to Cllr. Verdier.
She also said the “former LACC boss is also responsible for the leaks of the Assets Declarations of former Vice President Jewel Howard-Taylor, former Finance Minister Samuel Weah, former Minister of State Nathaniel McGill, and former Monrovia City Mayor Jefferson Koijee, respectively.”
The LACC boss’ testimony has vindicated Cllr. Kla Martin, another former LACC Chairperson, was earlier accused of being the one who leaked the information.
The appearance of both Zoe and Martin current and former LACC leaders before the House’s Plenary emerged from a communication by Representative Frank Saah Foko expressing concern over the disclosure of the former president’s assets.
In response to these revelations, the House of Representatives mandated the Committee on Judiciary to oversee LACC’s investigation into the asset declaration leaks involving the former president and four former government officials. The public eagerly awaits the results of these investigations for clarity and accountability.
