‘Signs of Practical Actions from the Taskforce will soon appear’- Assets Recovery Taskforce Head Tells President Boakai

By: Sylvester Choloplay

Monrovia, Liberia: The head of the Assets Recovery Taskforce, constituted by President Joseph Nyuma Boakai, has disclosed that signs of practical actions from the Taskforce will soon appear.

According to Cllr. Edwin Kla Martin, the Taskforce is resolved and prepared to be relentless and uncompromising, as its team members uphold their responsibilities to recover all stolen liquid and fixed assets from past officials.

He said the fundamental purpose of the Executive Order #125 issued by President Boakai is not to witch-hunt or make anyone falsely incriminated on the basis of political affiliation.

Executive Order #125 gives power to the taskforce to locate, recover, and retrieve stolen public resources and properties in and out of Liberia.

“Our recovery process will be based on the establishment of tangible evidence. Our ground rules of culpability will be established on the magnitude of the chain of custody. When these legal conditions are established and proven, culpability and subsequent prosecution will ensue to bring the actors under the rule of law”, he asserted.

Mr. Martin was speaking on Thursday at the Executive Mansion on Capitol Hill, March 14, 20234, when President Joseph Nyuma Boakai convened a meeting with the Taskforce’s members to highlight their progress and challenges.

He reiterated that the Taskforce remains committed to national duty and will do all within the confines of the law to identify, trace and recover all stolen assets from those who illegally obtained them.

Martin also revealed that the aim of the work is not only to expose corrupt officials but to serve as deterrence to present and future officials of Government.

He was reporting to H.E. President Joseph Boakai on the gains made for the past days since the formation of the Taskforce on March 7, 2024.

“Your Excellency, Liberia has a long history of bad governance, lack of accountability and integrity. These negatives are the consequences of poverty, underdevelopment, poor health care delivery programs, poor educational programs, bad roads and massive urbanization,” he asserted.

He disclosed that the consequences Liberians face today are the results of massive corruption and abuse of public trust, but President Boakai’s initiative to draw a line of demarcation to combat corruption at its zenith is not only laudable but it is unprecedented and extraordinary.