CENTAL Wants President Boakai Recalls New Appointments at PPCC Over Procedural Breach  

Monrovia: The Center for Transparency and Accountability (CENTAL) is calling on President Joseph Boakai to withdraw recent appointments made at the Public Procurement and Concessions Commission. CENTAL attributed its request to alleged malpractice in the selection of the appointees. According to CENTAL all appointees, except one, were handpicked and did not participate in the competitive recruitment process.

“In view of this worrisome development, which borders on commitment to the rule of law and established transparency and accountability mechanism and frameworks, CENTAL calls on President Boakai to Recall the appointment of individuals never independently vetted and recommended for appointment by the Panel, in line with relevant provisions of the amended PPCC Act of 2010”

On August 29, 2024, President Boakai appointed five individuals to the Complaints, Appeal, and Review Panel (CARP) of the Public Procurement and Concession Commission (PPCC). The appointment is provided for in the Amended and Restated Public Procurement and Concessions Commission Act of 2010.Those appointed include Cllr. Sundaway E. Nelson Amagashie, Cllr. Vincent Smith, Cllr. Morris Davis, Mr. Ezekiel F. Nyumah, and Mr. Michael C.G George.

The Act further states that in the event where the President finds only few candidates worthy of appointment, the Public Procurement and Concessions Commission is then required to submit an additional list of vetted candidates for consideration by the President. Thus, the law gives the President significant latitude in appointment. However, it provides for a process that ensures persons appointed to the integrity body are properly vetted and have the required competence and character.

 
The Institution in a press conference Tuesday said the decision of the president to appoint individuals outside of the established competitive and transparent procedure, as contained in the Public Procurement and Concession Act flagrantly violates the Act. Additionally, it undermines transparency and accountability and an utter disregard of the work performed by the committee members, including LNBA, CSA, CENTAL and PPCC. More so, this amounts to ‘business as usual’ and serves to frustrate and discourage not only successful candidates but the Eighty-four (84) applicants who exerted valuable time to participate in the recruitment process.

According to CENTAL, unlike Mr. Ezekiel Nyumah, one of 10 candidates recommended for appointment by the vetting panel, Cllr. Vincent Smith, Cllr. Morris Davis, and Mr. Michael C. G. George did not participate in the recruitment process at all.

Also, although Cllr. Sundayway E. Nelson Amegashie participated in the testing phase of the evaluation, but she did not participate in the interview stage as she was unavailable. As such, she was not recommended by the committee for appointment.

“CENTAL has observed a significant procedural and legal breach by the president over the appointment of the officials in question. This is because, Part II, Section 10, Sub-section 3 of the Amended and Restated PPCC Act of 2010 provides that appointments to said positions shall be derived from a competitive process held under the auspices of the PPCC, with a list of ten (10) candidates submitted to the President for the five positions—three (3) for lawyers and two (2) for non-lawyers”.

Adding , this action will somehow demonstrate a commitment to the rule of law and the fight against corruption, in deeds and not words.”The President must respect the independence and sanctity of public integrity institutions and refrain from actions that have the proclivity to undermine public confidence in their leadership and work, the Complaints, Appeal, and Review Panel of the Public Procurement and Concessions Commission in this instant case”.

“Finally, it is important that the decisions of the President and other public officials support and strengthen integrity-building, transparency, and accountability efforts in Liberia and not otherwise. Commitment to the rule of law and anti-corruption efforts must be matched by the required actions, if Liberians and development partners must be confident that the president Boakai is truly committed to and respecting anti-corruption and other laws governing key sectors, institutions, activities, and processes”.

Over the years, CENTAL has been a staunch advocate of integrity, transparency, and accountability in Liberia. CENTAL has supported efforts geared towards strengthening public integrity institutions and enhancing the fight against corruption, which include: robust and timely actions on audit findings and recommendations of the General Auditing Commission, increasing budgetary support to integrity institutions, enactment of relevant anti-corruption laws, and competitive recruitment to public integrity institutions.