President Joseph Boakai4

 Abubakar Hashim

Since President Joseph Boakai assumed office on 22 January 2024, he has consistently been on a tough mission, to reposition the country back to its lost glory.

Yesterday, he issued the first Executive Order EO 126, establishing the Office of Assets Recovery and Task Force, domiciled under the Minister of State for Special Services.

The main aim is to put in place the “ legal framework for the recovery of assets, wrongfully acquired by current and former government officials “. The work of the task force is with immediate effect.

President Boakai, yesterday, stated that “ the order is issued with the intent to retrieve, recover, restore and reinstate fixed and liquid assets from within and outside Liberia, that have been converted to private use by unscrupulous government officials and employees who were placed in positions of trust “.

The task force is also mandated and authorised to “ initiate criminal prosecution and civil litigation, on behalf of the government, return confiscated assets to Liberia upon adjudication and place travel and other restrictions on suspects while undergoing investigations for stolen and suspicious assets”.

The task force is further strengthened to “ employ diplomatic and Interpol means to extradite individuals identified as suspects, who are outside Liberia’s jurisdiction and bring them back to the investigate team’s jurisdiction”.

Boakai’s mission is not only limited to government officials but also private individuals who have illegally purchased government assets.

The Ministry of Finance is, with immediate effect, directed by President Boakai, through Executive Order EO 126, to allocate and disburse requisite funds for the full implementation of the exercise.

Since he assumed office I’ve a month ago, President Boakai has been talking tough, in tandem with his electoral campaign promises.

Liberia, Africa’s oldest republic, is on a transformation mission for a rebirth to a new era