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Newsletter Published by CENTAL | May 2014 Issue No. 7

Keeping the Promise What we say is that we are convinced, going forward, that with Liberia’s natural resources and our relatively small population of 3.7 million, there is no reason why we cannot create a prosperous society, granting equal opportunity to all, under conditions of the promotion and respect for all the fundamental and human rights under the rule of law.

“Let Citizens Know About County Social Development Funds Expenditure”

CENTAL MOURNS G. JASPER CUMMEH

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IBIS Holds Partners forum IBIS held its first partners forum in 2014 aimed at fostering and strengthening its relationship with a number of local programme partners in the country. The forum was held under its Governance Thematic Program (GTP) on February 20, 2014 at IBIS’ Congo Town office. Partners in attendance included: the Center for Transparency and Accountability in Liberia (CENTAL), Institute for Research and Democratic Development (IREDD), Save My Future Foundation (SAMFU), Foundation for Community Initiatives (FCI), and the National Youth Movement for Transparent Elections (NAYMOTE).

opment funds at local and national levels. The second objective focuses on improving accountability and transparency in decentralizing governance through advocating for resource allocation and tracking of budgets in the education sector from national to local levels. IREDD works on objective two. FCI and NAYMOTE implement projects under objective 3. The third objective spotlights increased awareness and capacity of women and youth in advocating for equal rights and participation in decentralization of governance processes at local and national levels.

Speaking at the occasion, IBIS Country Director, Ms. Rosalind Hanson-Alp welcomed participants and expressed optimism about the outcome of the forum. She explained that IBIS works through partners and wants to strengthen local organizations to serve as effective facilitators that help citizens raise their voices as active participants in the development of Liberia. She noted that the partnership will be fostered through experience sharing, capacity building programs and funding of projects by IBIS. IBIS Governance Director, Maya Lindberg Brink urged participants to be fully involved in the discussions of the day in order for the forum to be a success. The forum was comprised of three (3) sessions. In the first session, partners made presentations on the various pilot projects and highlighted key achievements, challenges and lessons learnt; IBIS presented progress made in the structuring of its GTP. The second session focused on lessons learned in the partnership, while the third session was around exploring opportunities for the future.

Madam Maya Lindberg Brink and IBIS Governance Coordinator, Ebenezer Zonoe facilitated the sessions.

It can be recalled that IBIS held discussions and conducted partner assessment for a total of 10 national CSOs, and elected to work with a total of 7 partners during the inception phase.

In 2013, selected partners designed projects for implementation under the inception phase. The inception phase climaxes in June 2014, and a full partnership may be agreed with partners that meet conditions for full engagement. The initial work with partners has been a learning experience for both IBIS and partners, and resulted in increased understanding of how better IBIS can support and work with partners in the short and medium term. The forum was animated, and frank exchanges ensued about programmatic challenges and how both IBIS and partners can improve their relationship. Participants lauded IBIS for organizing the event and stressed the need for regular interaction and information sharing sessions.

There are three objectives of the Governance Thematic Program. Organizations such as FCI, SAMFU, and CENTAL are implementing projects to ensure that Objective 1 is achieved.

The first objective is to increase civil society understanding and participation in public dialogue associated with natural resource concession agreements and their related social devel-

IBIS is an international non-governmental organization based in Denmark and works in several countries. Much of its work in Liberia has focused in education and based in the Southeast of the country. IBIS strives to foster good governance through local partnerships and programs. IBIS’ implementing partners are varied with specific focus, but with all working toward the goal of achieving better and prosperous democratic societies around the world. The commencement of the GTP should allow IBIS to broaden its program and increase support to locally driven initiatives.

IBIS Formative Monitoring Mission Visits Liberia As IBIS approaches the full phase of its Governance Thematic Programme (GTP), a two-man Formative Monitoring Mission (FMM) visited Liberia in April this year. The FMM’s visit was intended to assess programme results; review the approach to and challenges facing partnerships; verify the planning tools, including monitoring and evaluation; review and advise on advocacy work and synergy and advise on the future programme structure. Mr. Finn Hansen, Independent Consultant and Mr. Thomas G. Nielsen of IBIS, made up the delegation.

The delegation met with all implementing partners in order to discuss matters related to their ongoing project activities and prospective participation in the GTP. The FMM reviewed findings and recommendations were presented to partners at a briefing event held at IBIS’ Congo Town office in Monrovia. In a presentation, the Team pointed out the need to adjust objectives in the present Programme Document to get a “fresh start,” with a clearer focus on the decentralization process, natural resource management, accountability and with focus expressed through key indicators and specific targets. They stated that present objectives and indicators have only guided implementation to a limited extent. They also noted that the recommendations presented in their report could be used in the formulation of the full programme as an input for finalization or formulation of objectives and underlying results and indicators.

The FMM team also recommended the prioritization of advocacy at national level. “The partners’ activities have mostly been local, which may be natural in an inception phase, although reference is made to national activities in the programme document. However, to promote a more significant outcome, IBIS should add more partners who can work on advocacy related to

each of the three new objectives at national level,” they stated.

By this, they meant that the numbers of partners and the volume of funds should be increased. That there might be certain areas where IBIS could take a lead through provision of specific technical assistance, especially regarding new tools or innovative activities that could benefit partners. “For example, the FMM supports the introduction of tools that help to strengthen the dialogue between local authorities and CSOs, such as score cards, social audits, participatory planning processes and budget tracking, among others: tools which are not known by all partners. The Team also mentioned the possibility of including local authorities as collaborators or operational partners in some of the counties where IBIS works, while majority of partners should be civil society organizations at national and local level.

The FMM made a total of thirteen (13) recommendations, all of which were reviewed by partners and generally accepted by partners. With these recommendations regarded as comprehensive and appropriate by partners, it is anticipated that the implementation of the full phase of the GTP will yield a more desired impact.

According to the guidance provided by IBIS globally, FMM missions are “critical friends” and the missions are spaces for learning and reflection. The recommendations therefore focus on providing suggestions and lessons that strengthen future programming rather than merely assessing performance, although this is also done. The Formative Monitoring Team acknowledged the support provided by IBIS Liberia and its partners as regards scheduling meetings and sharing of work experiences.

Education NGO Forum Holds Restructuring Meeting In a bid to improve the effectiveness of the Education NGO Forum, IBIS and Concern hosted members of the forum in the conference room of IBIS in Congo Town on May 19. The meeting was meant to restructure the Forum and improve its effectiveness. Lincoln Ajoku, Education Advisor for Concern Worldwide (US), facilitated the meeting. Lincoln took members through an interactive and animated program that allowed participants to determine goals and purpose, membership requirements, roles for leading NGO forum, responsibilities of members, meetings schedule, communications

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structure, and financial matters. The meeting was attended by more than 15 partners, but the Country Director of IBIS emphasized that despite the good attendance at the retreat, many organizations seldom attend regular forum meetings.

IBIS and Concern Worldwide established the education NGO forum to improve coordination and enhance collaboration amongst NGOs working in education. Initially, the forum comprised international NGOs, but now includes local organizations. The forum has played a pivotal role in advanc-

OSIWA Holds 2014 Partners Meeting

OSIWA held its 2014 Thematic Pillar Meetings with its grantees for the exchange of information, ideas and the collective acknowledgement of civil society achievements. This platform serves as an important knowledge base to keep abreast of the pressing issues facing Liberia today, and it also creates the space for current partners and grantees to strengthen relations, share skills, and establish communication channels for information sharing with relevant stakeholders and government partners. Grantees of OSIWA are categorized under three thematic pillars: 1) Political Governance; 2) Economic Governance; 3) Law, Justice and Human Rights.

Objectives: The overall objective is to jointly facilitate a forum for current grantees of OSIWA to share their first hand experiences and expertise on working in the contextual environment sought from the OSIWA 2014-2017 strategy. Representatives from each of OSIWA’s grantee and partner organizations provided short presentations on the status of their current grant.

The meeting which is held annually, provides the opportunity to stimulate discussions on the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats found within each thematic pillar and pave the way forward to improving development assistance in Liberia. The Thematic Pillar meetings are also a prelude to the annual OSIWA Partners’ Forum. The implementation progress of the recommendations and thematic plans will be assessed at the Partners’ Forum and will also be used to shape the further implementation of the 2014 – 2017 Strategy.

Economic Governance Focus: Governance of West Africa’s economy is intricately connected to the future of democracy, peace and stability in the sub-region. Natural resources play a major role as economic mainstay in many countries. However, corruption and lack of accountability constitute major bottleneck to accruing benefits from the resource revenue flows to a majority of the citizens. Government - especially the executive arm - uses its enormous powers and authority to control and influence other arms. For example, it uses the “allocative” powers to control oversight functions of the Legislature/Parliament and “appointive” powers over the functioning of the Judiciary.

The overall goal is to support participatory, transparent and accountable management of natural and public resources to ensure equitable distribution of national wealth, sustainable and environmentally friendly development. OSIWA also seeks to address systemic and procedural deficiencies and inefficiencies in States’ management of economic affairs, by ensuring that citizens play an active role in shaping and monitoring the actions and results of Government. Achieving this requires innovative multi-stakeholder interventions to strengthen resource management and allocation to respond to citizens’ needs. Additional interventions must link accountability to efficiency and service delivery in critical sectors for empowering citizens (e.g. education and health), strengthening human security – especially food security both in the context of governance of agricultural sector and climate change.

The immediate beneficiaries of this meeting are OSIWA’s grantees and potential partners (CSOs, government entities, academia and other stakeholders) in Liberia that include: Sustainable Development Institute; Rights and Rice Foundation; Liberia Freedom of Information Coalition (LFIC); Center Against Money Laundering and Terrorist Financing in Liberia (CAMTEFIL). Others are the Coalition for Transparency and Accountability in Education (COTAE); Center for Policy Studies (CEPS); African Youth With Disabilities Network (AYWDN).

The Open Society Initiative for West Africa (OSIWA) is a grant-making and advocacy foundation that forms part of the global network of Open Society Foundations. OSIWA is based in Dakar, Senegal and works to support the creation of open societies in West Africa marked by functioning democracy, good governance, rule of law, basic freedoms, and widespread civic participation. At the heart of OSIWA’s work to advance the cause of open society in West Africa is the development of strong civil society organizations (CSOs) able to fill the transparency and accountability gap in all areas of governance.

Over the last decade, OSIWA has invested in and granted substantive financial support to CSOs across the sub-region. ing strategies of reform to the Ministry of Education.

IBIS has advanced its intention to fund a personnel that will cater to the activities of the Education NGO Forum as part of its contribution to ensuring that the forum remains active .

A publication of the Center for Transparency and Accountability in Liberia (CENTAL)

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Open Expenditure Initiative - Margibi and Bong Counties CENTAL has held series of engagements with County Social Development Fund (CSDF) stakeholders in Margibi and Bong under the Open Expenditure Initiative (OEI). Citizens have voiced concerns over the management of resource-generated revenue, especially the CSDF, and have pointed accusing fingers at local officials for the poor management of the fund. It is against this backdrop that CENTAL has intervened to address the resource paradox by creating an enabling environment for ‘officials-citizens interaction’ and for a broadened participation of citizens in the various processes related to the utilization of the CSDF. Implementing the pilot phase of the OEI Project, which officially climaxes in May 2014, a number of meetings were convened to ensure that project goals are achieved: Stakeholder Meetings: The primary targets of these meetings were policy makers and key actors who are involved in determining how the CSDF is expended. Between August and October 2013, Legislators and County officials formed part of the stakeholder engagement process which was geared towards ensuring that the project idea is shared with top level

government officials who are well positioned for concrete action. Margibi local officials who formed part of the engagement include Hon. John Z. Buway, County Superintendent; Hon. Victoria W. Duncan, Assistant Superintendent for Development; and the Chairman of the County’s Project Management Committee (PMC), Mr. Francis Cooper. Senator Oscar Cooper also granted the project team audience.

Meanwhile, Bong County Superintendent, Hon. Selena P. Mappay, and Assistant Superintendent for Development, Hon. Anthony V. Sheriff, were involved with the Bong meetings.

Bong PMC Chairman, Mr. Lawrence Plator also participated in the stakeholder meeting. Others included Senator Jewel Howard Taylor, Representative Prince K. Moye and Representative Tokpah J. Mulbah.

These stakeholders expressed their support for the project as it aims to improve transparency around the CSDF and also pledged their commitment to safeguarding citizen participation in decision-making processes. A common view shared amongst local officials was their willingness to disclose information on the expenditure of the funds. However, they cited dissemination, capacity and accessibility constraints.

The officials welcomed CENTAL’s proposal to serve as a conveyor of CSDF information to the public and indicated that they are opened to information requests at anytime. Accordingly, CENTAL will disseminate information at various outreach programs and also through publications.

In a related development, CENTAL has held discussions with Internal Affairs Minister, Hon. Morris Dukuly, considering the key role he plays in the management of the Social Development Fund. The Minister of Internal Affairs is charged with the responsibility of approving resolutions submitted by county sittings, and this places him in a crucial position to ensure that citizen participation is maximized. Hon. Dukuly hinted about on-going CSDF reforms and stated that these reforms will include the OEI project idea of more transparent and inclusive decision-making procedures with the fund.

Capacity Building Workshops: CENTAL has conducted two training workshops in Margibi and Bong counties to strengthen the capacity of citizens in tracking CSDF expenditure.

Journalists, County Officials, Civil Society Organizations (CSOs), and Community Based Organizations (CBOs), participated in the trainings. Over hundred persons were trained on expenditure tracking methodologies and advocacy. It is expected that participants use knowledge gained to effectively monitor the usage of the CSDF. At a time when citizens have raised concerns over how funds are applied, it is important to equip them with tools necessary to ensure the best value for money.

The training sessions focused on how citizens can employ budget analysis variables to analyze their involvement in various budget stages such as preparation, approval, implementation, and monitoring and evaluation. Participants were trained on practical ways to use budget analysis variables (Participation, Transparency, Accountability, and Priority) at various budget stages. By understanding these essential tools, citizens can proactively engage with the CSDF process. There were also sessions which highlighted how participants can use their findings to advocate for change, and the role they can play in the fight against corruption.

In Margibi, the workshop was held at the LIYONET Conference hall with over fifty (50) persons in attendance. Speaking at the start of the event, Mr. Justin Barmen welcomed everyone on behalf of the County Superintendent, Hon. John Buway, and lauded CENTAL for its efforts to engage with the locals. He stated that the workshop was very important to enable the stakeholders of the county to understand issues bordered around the CSDF. For his part, the Monitoring and Evaluation Officer of IBIS-Liberia, Mr. Imenteelea Grimes expressed satisfaction over the workshop attendance and encouraged participants to use lessons learned for the benefit of the County.

Meanwhile, the Conference Hall of the Bong County Women Organization in Gbarnga was the venue of the workshop held in that part of the country. Over fifty (50) persons including over twenty females attended the workshop. The Chairman of Bong County’s Project Management Committee (PMC), Mr. Lawrence Plator was also in attendance. Representatives of the Women In Peacebuilding Network (WIPNET), Development Education Network- Liberia (DEN-L), Justice and Peace Commission (JPC), and the United Muslim Women Organization and several journalists were also present. Participants lauded CENTAL for the initiative and underscored the need for such workshops, aimed at ensuring that the CSDF works for the people, to be held on a regular basis.

Community Focused Stakeholders’ forums: As part of the project, community focused stakeholders’ forums were held in Kakata and Bong Mines on September 19 and 20 respectively. Facilitated by the Liberia Media for Democratic Initiatives (LMDI), the forums brought together approximately two hundred and thirty (230) persons who expressed views on how the CSDF has been used in the recent past. Speakers at the forums shared the view that county officials do little to disseminate information concerning the use of the fund. They expressed frustration over the manner in which projects have been carried out and called for their inclusion in decision-making. Awareness created by the forums was multiplied by “The Dialogue” radio program aired on thirtyfive radio stations around the country.

Youths, Women and Disadvantaged Groups Forum: Youths, Women and persons with disabilities often do not participate in deriving decisions which affect them the most. They make up a large portion of the population of the country but are often left out when critical decisions are made. Also, the views of the physically challenged are often unsolicited. It is predicated upon this understanding that two forums, which brought together over hundred (100) persons including youths, women, and the disabled, were held on the weekend of May 2-3, 2014, in Margibi and Bong. Participants stressed that they want a change that will engender maximum participation that will reflect views from all spheres of the society. They also called on local officials to become proactive in the dissemination of information instead of reacting when accusations are made against them. This was the final outreach activity implemented under the OEI project pilot phase.

CENTAL Wants Youth Involved in Fighting Corruption - Implements Youth Project

As part of efforts to ensure transparency and accountability across all sectors of Liberia, CENTAL is implementing a project that engages youths in Liberia. The Youth Engagement Project (YEP) promotes integrity among young Liberians and builds their capacities to meaningfully contribute to the fight against corruption and the promotion of integrity values in society. Six counties: Montserrado, Grand Cape Mount, Bomi, Margibi, Bong and Grand Bassa are targeted for the intervention.

Basically, the project has two phases: a Baseline/data gathering phase and an Advocacy phase.

The baseline focuses on gathering relevant data to inform successful implementation of the project. Meanwhile, the second and final phase (advocacy) focuses on advocacy and other engagements using findings of the baseline.

Key activities earmarked under the project include, but not limited to, a national consultation, baseline study, training workshops, integrity forums, and essay contest on governance, transparency and accountability issues. Other activities include advocacy engagements, formation

of anti-corruption youth clubs, production and distribution of education and communication materials, monitoring and evaluation and etc.

The project team has held consultations with key stakeholders, all of whom have pledged overwhelming support for the action. The stakeholders include the Federation of Liberian Youths (FLY), Liberian National Students Union (LINSU), Young Men Christian Association of Liberia (YMCA), Young Women Christian Association of Liberia (YWCA) and the Ministry of Youths and Sports. The consultation is expected to continue with students, school administrators, teachers, parents and other key actors to inform them about the project and solicit their inputs and supports.

Meanwhile, survey questionnaires have been completed, enumerators trained and survey conducted in the six counties. The YEP is coordinated by Anderson Maimen, who is being assisted by Alline Dunbar.

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The Liberia Corruption Watch is published by The Center for Transparency and Accountability in Liberia (CENTAL) 22nd Street Sinkor, opposite JFK Medical Center Cell: 0886511142 / 0886765056

EDITORIAL TEAM EDITOR: GEORGE EBBA

CONTRIBUTORS:

Thomas D. Nah, Gerald D. Yeakula, & Anderson Miamen

Why Open Expenditure is Important WHY OPEN EXPENDITURE? Widespread public anger at the mismanagement of the country’s natural resources was one of the proximate causes of the Liberian civil war.

Those in authority grew wealthy from resource contracts, or by appropriating in a variety of questionable ways the funds derived from resource royalties. In the Liberian hinterlands, the broad mass of people saw resources vanish, with no roads, schools, or health care clinics coming back in return. The governing structures they erected came to be seen as illegitimate, engendering first resentment, and in time hatred. The support given by rural youth to several of the militia groups early in the civil war is testimony to this fact.

WHY OPEN EXPENDITURE IN THE CSDF In an attempt to address the resource curse, the Government of Liberia included the Social Development Fund (SDF) as part of Mineral Development Agreements (MDA) that were signed from 2008 onwards, which commits extractive companies to pay an annual social contribution, that would serve as a useful source of funding for communities in the beneficiary counties. This move was unprecedented in the corporate history of Liberia. Communities were jubilant over the fact that the SDF pointed towards a new dispensation of enhanced socio-economic development; better roads, education, and health care were imminent. However, these things are still far from happening.

Communities remain impoverished in spite of the availability of the SDF. Though the funds may be inadequate to address many of the pressing development needs, the participation of citizens in various projects and the disclosure of information relating to the SDF need to be prioritized. The paradigm shift from secretive government processes to one that is inclusive, responsive and open provides an opportunity for citizens to gain access not only to budgetary information, but also expenditure information that is transformative to their lives. The Liberia Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (LEITI) focuses on availability of reconciled revenue information from the government and extractive companies, but citizens are getting more interested in the spending of revenues. The Government’s Open Budget Initiative also focuses on making budget information accessible to citizens.

However, while these efforts are laudable, in a society where corruption thrives, access to budget figures are just not sufficient. Citizens need to have access to expenditure figures so they can decipher impact of funds allocated through the CSDF. Access to expenditure figures would give a clearer picture of expenditure patterns, increase citizens’ interest in demanding accountability and lead to questions about the integrity of contractual arrangements and project implementation. Issues of conflict of interest, quality of work performed or delivered and various corrupt practices would be highlighted.

O P I N I O N S Democracy for the Wealthy and Ruling Elites An amendment to the National Elections Law, sponsored by Senator Jewel Howard Taylor and a few colleagues, would require candidates contesting elections to pay the following amounts in United States dollars: presidential - $25,000; vice-presidential $15000; senatorial - $5000; and representative - $3000. Also, candidates for the positions of paramount, clan, and town chiefs would be required to pay $150, $100 and $50 respectively. The current law requires the following payments from candidates: presidential - $2,500; vice-presidential- $1,500; senatorial - $750; and representative - $300. The proposed amendment represents an astronomical increase of 1000% in the required presidential, vice-presidential and representative fees as well as 667% in the senatorial fee. One wonders why the fees for senatorial candidates received a lower percentage increase compared to other categories. Is it because the proposal emanated from the senate?

Interestingly, the Liberian Constitution requires in Article 52 (b) that individuals seeking to be president or vice president should be “the owners of unencumbered real property valued at not less than twenty-five thousand dollars” (Liberia or US?). This constitutional requirement is meant to ensure that candidates are property owners, taxpayers, and key stakeholders in their communities. To propose that candidates pay an additional twenty-five/fifteen thousand dollars in cash for the presidency/vice presidency respectively imposes unconscionable taxation on Liberians wishing to offer their leadership skills and expertise to develop the country. Participation must not be tagged to unbearable registration fees.

The joy of democracy is participation and inclusion. Prohibitive registration fees will stifle participation and exclude competent citizens from pursuit of democratic leadership. High registration fees restrict leadership to the wealthy. Allowing the wealthy class to monopolize politics is a recipe for conflict and could lead to official corruption in a bid to gain wealth for electoral advantage. The proposal to charge astronomical fees is tantamount to transforming our democratic system into a plutocracy. We have to guard against plutocratic tendencies taking over our fledgling democracy. Many Liberians are poor, and many of those that have the literate capacity and right leadership attributes may not boast bulging bank accounts to muster the proposed astronomical fees. Moreover, this amendment has the propensity of undermining the individuality of political participation. Some independent candidates and individuals in political parties will be deterred from contesting simply because they cannot afford the required fees.

Some politicians and legislators believe the proposed amendment will reduce the number of candidates, political parties and functional illiterates that participate in elections. I find these assertions interesting and wonder how leaders that are expected to drive our democracy would have such perverted thinking. Intriguingly, many of those advocating for the increment were once poor, but amassed wealth upon assuming high-level positions in government. What if the law had existed during their impoverished conditions? Would they have had the opportunity to be elected? In a country where wealth is usually accumulated through public sector pilferage, instead of business acumen and ingenuity, we are attempting to set the stage for the corrupt and unexplained-wealth-accumulators to tighten their control over the national purse and power.

Already, there are allegations of neglect of some constituencies by their lawmakers. Payment of such stratospheric fees may result to underperformance, as some legislators prioritize paying back borrowed registration fees compared to addressing problems in their constituencies. They could also manipulate competitive processes (procurement, contract award and ratification, recruitment of political appointees etc.) in favor of debtors as payback for financial support.

Liberia requires comprehensive reforms and actions to consolidate peace and successfully rebuild state structures that are resilient to the unsettling effects of wars and unwarranted socioeconomic downturns. These reforms and actions have to be measured consistent with existing economic realities and must be informed by socio-economic and political norms and values of the Liberian society. After years of conflict, Liberia still remains fragile and cannot afford to relegate substantive citizens’ participation by passage of anti-democratic laws that undermine national cohesion with the propensity to divide the country between rich and poor – literate and illiterate. Historically, bad laws promoted a structure of state that marginalized many citizens and allowed the ruling class to accumulate wealth and cling unto power. Resistance to bad laws and marginalization of the majority segment of the society led to overthrow of the ruling elites in the 1980 coup and uprisings against the Doe and Taylor regimes.

Democracy in Liberia is thriving and citizens are enjoying unhindered power to field candidates of their choice albeit affordable candidacy fees. It would be unfortunate to change the game now to serve the interest of a few greedy and power hungry Liberians. Our current candidates’ registration fees are reasonable and affordable, and must be maintained. The onus is on the National Elections Commission to rigorously enforce acceptable laws and regulations that govern the political space. Higher standard is also required of the legislature to make laws that are satisfactory, balanced, and supportive of efforts to enhance the democratic space. When bad laws are made/ proposed, like the one under review, few persons will be short-term beneficiaries, but many will suffer as time progresses. We must guard against proposing/enacting laws that seek to reduce competition, create wealth for a select few, and perpetuate their stay in power.

Thomas Doe Nah is Executive Director of the Center for Transparency and Accountability in CENTAL, the Liberian Chapter of Transparency International, the global anti-corruption coalition. Follow me on twitter @loveofliberty or email: tnah@cental.org

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CENTAL Mourns G. Jasper Cummeh

The Center for Transparency and Accountability in Liberia (CECENTAL remains deeply distressed by the passing of one of its incorporators and former Executive Director, Mr. G. Jasper Cummeh, III. Cummeh passed on Saturday, 25 January after collapsing in the middle of a presentation. Jasper’s death sent tremor through the entire country particularly civil society and media networks, paralyzing many with deathly shock. He was founder and head of the Action for Genuine Democratic Alternative, member of several civil society networks and member and chairman on Boards of Directors (BOD) of several CSO and media institutions.

Prior to becoming founder and Senuor Policy Director of AGENDA, Jasper served as Program Director and Executive Director of CENTAL from 2005 to 2008. He worked assiduously to provide feathers to enable the fledging organization to fly to higher heights. Having ably led CENTAL for three years and setting it on a firm foundation of surety, Jasper’s innovation and energy would stop at nothing. He moved on to establish AGENDA in 2007 and headed it until his untimely death.

The Late Jasper G. Cummeh III

LACC GETS NEW CHAIRMAN

New Auditor General Commissioned

Two New Commissioners nominated

Following his confirmation by the Liberian Senate, President Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf has appointed Cllr. James N. Verdier, Jr. as Executive Chairperson of the Liberia Anti-Corruption Commission. His appointment took effect February 24, 2014. He replaces Cllr. Frances Johnson Allison.

In her letter of appointment to Cllr.

Verdier dated February 24, 2014, President Sirleaf said: “please accept my congratulations and my expression of trust in your ability to make a meaningful contribution in your area of responsibility as we strive to move our country forward in a process aimed at enhancing peace, reconciliation and development.” President Sirleaf in November last year appointed Cllr. Verdier as Acting Executive Chairperson of the LACC pending confirmation by the Liberian Senate.

Meanwhile, Cllr. Verdier has vowed to resign his post if President Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf or any senior officials of government interferes with the functions of the Commission as a way of impeding the execution of his responsibilities. Speaking during his confirmation hearing in the Liberian Senate, the LACC boss stated that he was not prepared to mortgage his hard-earned credibility at the expense of political games that maybe implored by higher ups in the government.

Highlighting some of the challenges currently facing the LACC, Cllr. Verdier noted budgetary constraints, further indicating that for the past five years, the Finance Ministry has always registered US$10 million annually for the commission, while in reality, the commission only receives US$2 million each budget year. According to him, the balance US$8 million is placed under donor support—something the commission has never realized. “The LACC’s allotment in the current approved national budget is US$10 million. This invokes an impression that the LACC is well funded. However, of this amount, US$8 million is assigned as donor funding, which the commission has not received since its establishment. Funds made available to the LACC have not exceeded US$2.1 million per annum--US$1.3 million covers personnel cost, leaving barely a little over US$70,000 to administer and undertake the mandates of the LACC to date,” he explained.

He also spoke about strengthening and the prosecutorial power of the LACC, noting that the commission, in such area, was poor. “We take this challenge seriously, and we are determined to remove this parameter. For the number of cases prosecuted in twenty four months, we have to change drastically—whether jointly with the Ministry of Justice,” he said.

Cllr. Verdier, a lecturer of law at the University of Liberia, indicated that his administration will advocate for more structures and stronger regulations to strengthen and re-enforce already existing structures and laws. “But, we must first demonstrate competence, professionalism and courage to win public trust and respect as an institution of integrity, transparency and justice,” he asserted. According to him, the support of the Government and people of Liberia was critical and indispensable to the LACC, also promising to introduce whistle blowers, informants, silent witnesses, and coverts to be hired by the commission in order to track down corrupt officials.

Meanwhile, the President of Liberia has nominated Mr. Charles J. L. Gibson and Ms. Aba Hamilton Dolo to the LACC. Mr. Gibson and Ms. Dolo replaces Mr. Joseph Acqui and Judge Gladys Johnson both of whom tenure expired. When the two new commissioners are confirmed they will join Cllr. Verdier, Cllr. Augustine Toe and Cllr. Osman Kanneh.

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The General Auditing Commission (GAC) role in fighting fraud and waste has suffered from the lack of a stable leadership since the government failed to renew the contract of former Auditor General (AG) John Morlu.

After several months with acting AGs, Mr. Robert Kilby was appointed. However, instead of heralding a period of stability Mr. Kilby’s reign was shortlived as he became embroiled in acts incompatible with his mandate as AG. His contract was terminated.

The President has appointed and commissioned Ms. Yusador Gaye as Auditor General after confirmation by the Liberian Senate. She becomes Liberia’s first female Auditor General. Ms. Gaye is a certified public accountant with over 20 years experience in the local government and banking sectors in the United States of America. The new AG graduated from North Carolina Central University with Master in Public Administration (MPA) Magna Cum Laude in 2010 and obtained her CPA lincense in 1989. She previously worked as Inspector General at the Ministry of Foriegn Affairs of Liberia and for the State of North Carolina in the US.

NIF Gets New Coordinator In a bid to resuscitate the National Integrity Forum (NIF) established in May 2010 as a collaborative effort of integrity-based institutions in government, civil society and business, the forum has recruited Mr. Robert Jarwleh to coordinate the affairs of the NIF. Mr. Jarwleh will run the day-to-day affairs of the forum and report to the Executive Director of CENTAL who is head of the NIF Technical Committee. Stakeholders in the NIF decided to initiate a forum to rectify the unbearable effects of corruption in Liberia. The entrenched and pervasive nature of corruption in Liberia impacts the socio-economic and political systems needed to advance development outcomes and importantly reduce poverty. The impact of corruption on society needs to be counteracted by collective actions.

The National Integrity Forum functions through a dual tier governance structure that includes the Technical and Steering Committees. The emergence of the National Integrity Forum (NIF) is a testimony to the interest shown by various actors in efforts to fight corruption, and implant regimes of prevention in Liberia. The NIF incorporates key players such as the Liberia Anticorruption Commission; Public Procurement and Concession Commission (PPCC); General Auditing Commission (GAC); Federation of Liberian Youths (FLY); Center of Transparency and Accountability in Liberia (CENTAL); Press Union of Liberia (PUL); Catholic Justice and Peace Commission (JPC); Governance Commission (GC); Civil Service Agency (CSA); Liberia Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (LEITI) and Corporate Responsibility Forum (CRF). This is a multi-stakeholder consortium that allows public/private dialogue and initiatives that are meant to rectify the unbearable effects of corruption.

The NIF since its inauguration in July 2009 has made modest efforts to articulate its objectives. The dual tier governance structure that includes the Technical and Steering Committees have not been fully operational. This level of organizational insouciance to meet organizational objectives has impacted the overall relevance and effectiveness of the forum. This trend needs to change. Members have agreed that they desire a more robust and proactive attitude. The recruitment of a coordinator is expected to help revive the NIF.

A publication of the Center for Transparency and Accountability in Liberia (CENTAL)

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May 2014

PICTORIAL: OPEN EXPENDITURE INITIATIVE - BONG COUNTY

Participants in Open Expenditure Workshop in Kakata, Margibi County

Participants at a Women, Youths, and Disadvantaged Groups Forum in Kakata, Margibi County

The Bong Technical College is still under construction.

The project got underway November 1, 2010 and it is yet to be completed.

The project remains one of the most controversial projects in the county. After an allocation of $US400,000, contractors have reportedly informed county authorities that the building was under-estimated. Our sources informed us that an additional funding of approximately US$300,000 is being requested.

The China United Investment Group (CUIG) is implementing the project.

Margibi County: BWI multi-purpose building is at standstill because of lack of funds to complete. Accordingly, the County says that it has made its contribution of US$115,897 and the school is unable to raise the balance.

A newly renovated clinic in Tamata, Jorquelleh #2. Town Chief Morris Sambolah explained how painstaking it was to build the clinic and the many setbacks experienced. He told CENTAL that efforts to construct the clinic dates as far back as 1980 (prior to the civil war). The project suffered setback because the war ruined the structure. The building was, however, rebuilt after the war. A porch, restroom (far right), doors and windows, are the add-ons, while the roof of the building remains unchanged. The renovation of this building is put at $22,106USD.

Participants in Open Expenditure Workshop in Gbarnga, Bong County

Front view of town Hall constructed in Gbarngasiaquellie, Panta District, Bong County. The cost of the building is $25,000. The project was implemented by SAFETY PLUS.

The Bellemu Youth Center, which was constructed by KORLA & SON, is located in Bellemu, Panta. At a cost of $16,568USD, the center has a hall, two office spaces, and restroom facilities. Residents have expressed satisfaction over the work done.

The bridge in Kpanyah brings to memory the condition of many bridges that were used in the hinterland a few years ago. Majority of those log bridges have been replaced by concrete ones. An initial amount of $30,000USD was allocated for the construction of the bridge, and was later increased to $42,397USD, but significant progress has not been made. See next photo

The Lango Lippaye Multi-purpose building has been constructed for more than 2 years. The cost of the project is US$173,015.

A publication of the Center for Transparency and Accountability in Liberia (CENTAL)

Participants in a Women, Youths, and Disadvantaged Groups Forum in Gbarnga, Bong County

Margibi: Kakata rehabilitation work at a cost of US$1,047,426. The road program is controversial as demolition and delays have led to debates and accusations of corruption.

Belefanai gets a newly renovated commissioner residence. “This building was built during Tolbert days. So, I see it like this, I tell God thank you. I have tears in my eyes”, said an elated Oretha Suah who witnessed the construction of the building many years ago. She stated that the building had been at roof level, and that the renovation work included roofing, placing of floor tiles, installation of sliding windows and steel bars, and painting. $US 59,549 was spent for renovation.

The Kpanyah bridge project commenced in July, 2013 and was due to be completed by November, 2013. With the amount of $21,198.88USD disbursed to the contractor, BLACK WATER, a bridge foundation is all that the people of Kpanyah, Jorquelleh#3 can get. Residents are deeply frustrated over this delay and are eagerly awaiting progress.

Margibi County: Larkayta Road connects Vahnyeameh to Yorlon, Compound to Vertikiah-ta, Sherman Farm to Yeanah. The project is put at US$617,801 and has been completed. Unfortunately, the road is narrow and gets further damaged during the rainy season.

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CENTAL ACTIVITIES IN PICTURES Coalition for Transparency and Accountability in Education (COTAE)

Participants at the COTAE policy dialogue “Issues in Education” held at the Corina Hotel in Monrovia.

Students of William Gabriel Kpolleh high school in New Georgia Estate being lectured

by Rep. R. Matenokay Tingba, who is also a Geologist, at a COTAE outreach.

COTAE strives to provide outreach on educatioin and in concert with Immigration authorities brand the Salala Check Point.

Deputy Police Inspector Col. Abraham Kromah makes a presentation at CENTAL’s “Citizens’ and Police Chats” in the West Point community

Representative Bophal Chambers makes a presentation at CENTAL’s “Citizens’ and Police Chats” in the Point Four Community in New Kru Towm

UNMIL Police Officers attend CENTAL’s “Citizens’ and Police Chats” at the Peace Island Community in Congo Town

Monitors and officers of the Liberia Country Team benefit from interaction with monitoring & evaluation consultant Gilbert M. Atta-Boakye at Corina Hotel

Liberia Country Team outreach in communities in Monrovia at the Redemption Day Market in Gardnersville (Marketing Association officer speaks)

Liberia Country Team visits West Point - Community youth making a comment

Monitors of the Liberia Country Team at the Solid Waste Transfer Station in Fiamah

Liberia Country Team at the Redemption Day Market in Gardnersville (CBE officer speaks)

Liberia Country Team delegation at the West African Contract Monitoring Network regional meeting in Accra, Ghana

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LIBERIA COUNTRY TEAM

A publication of the Center for Transparency and Accountability in Liberia (CENTAL)

8 | Liberia Corruption Watch

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“Police and You”

CENTAL Brings the Police and Communities Together with Funding from the British Embassy The Center for Transparency and Accountability in Liberia (CENTAL) and the British Embassy near Monrovia has entered into a partnership geared toward improving the relationship between the Liberia National Police (LNP) and communities in Monrovia. The project brings the police activities in communities under the spotlight with focus on broadening police and communities’ interaction to fight corruption and improve service delivery. Speaking at a press conference held at CENTAL’s office in Sinkor to launch the project, Sarnyenneh Dickson, Project Coordinator noted that the overall objective of the project is to improve public confidence in police services by getting authorities to support sustained cordiality in police-community interaction, reduce corruption and improve performance and service delivery. Five communities in the City of Monrovia and its suburbs are target for forums themed: “Police and Citizen’s Chats.”

concerns and enlighten participants about the role of police in their community. Some of the issues raised by community members centered on police officers taking alcohol and illegal drugs

The Project Coordinator, Mr. Sarnyenneh Dickson, stated that there is widespread negative perception about the police as they have consistently been portrayed as corrupt and unprofessional by a significant number of the Liberian public. “There has been a number of allegations and incidences of police misconduct that have resulted in tense relationship between communities and police officers,” continued Mr. Dickson. Reports released by Transparency International (Global Corruption Barometer 2013), Human Rights Watch (No Money, No Justice - 2013) and that of the National Integrity Forum (Integrity Barometer Report 2013), paints a grim picture about police corruption in Liberia. The TI Report stated that 94% of people interviewed believed the police to be corrupt/extremely corrupt. The Human Rights Watch Report described the police engagement with citizens as “justice is not for the poor,” or “no money, no justice”, while the local NIF’s Integrity Barometer Report indicated that more than 50% of its respondents strongly agreed that they were often asked by police to pay extra money or do a favor for the services they received.

CENTAL understands the concerns expressed by citizens and other external actors about the existence of corruption and unprofessional behavior of some police officers, and at the same time knows that citizens are themselves involved in acts that are inimical to effective police/community relationship. It is logical that the police is one of the most scrutinized groups in society as they are on the frontline of law enforcement and most of their actions and interactions are in the glare of the public. Though police authorities deny or refute many of the allegations against the police, they have also stated that there are many challenges and that some of their officers are unprofessional and corrupt. CENTAL believes that training and deploying police officers is not enough and that we need to go beyond to save the image of our police force and build public confidence in it. CENTAL also believes that it will be unfair and hypocritical to put the blame squarely on the lap of the LNP, especially when the entire society is enmeshed

during working shift and connivance with criminal elements in the community. The issue of community member harboring criminals and failing to cooperate with the police in dealing with crimes was also highlighted. Col. Kromah noted that the attitude of some police officers was unprofessional and unsatisfactory and indicated that the leadership of the police is committed to weeding out bad officers. He called on community members to report officers caught in illegal activities to his office or the Professional Standard Division (PSD) of the Liberia National Police. He also noted that information deficit undermines citizens-police interaction as citizens are unaware of how the police operates. He made reference to the anger expressed by citizens when suspected criminals are released by the police. “We cannot keep suspected criminals beyond a certain period, and it is more difficult when those that brought the case fail to return with further evidence for the police to send the suspect to court,” he averred.

Representative George spoke about the failure of citizens to collaborate with the police in fighting crime. He pointed out that many of the citizens in his constituency harbored criminals and are complicit in many of the criminal activities that infest neighborhoods. He called on citizens of West Point to report crimes and criminals as it is for their own safety. He, however, noted that police are servants of the people and have to conduct their activities professionally and without favor to certain sessions of the community. Other speakers including the local Catholic Preist Fr. Philip W. Tickey lauded the effort of CENTAL and were delighted that the police were partners in the forum. They call for more interaction with the police so that community/police relationship can be enhanced.

Community forums - New Kru Town - Point Four

in corruption. There is no denying that corruption is widely practiced in Liberia especially with the high level of poverty and social vulnerability.

The Center for Transparency and Accountability in Liberia believes that an effective police service that espouses integrity and is focused on community engagement is critical to stability, economic growth and poverty reduction. The quality of police service to the community is paramount to effective enforcement of laws, consolidation of peace and building effective institutions of development and socio-economic progress. Citizens on the other hand have an important role to support the fight against corruption in the police force by responsibly engaging the police and following up on complaints against badly behaved and corrupt police officers.

This would help remove the bad apples from amongst the good ones.

Community forum - West Point The “Police and Community Chat” held its first forum in the Township of West Point. The gathering included youths, women, the elderly and religious leaders. The Deputy Police Director for Operations, Colonel Abraham Kromah and Representative Solomon George of District # 7 were in attendance. The meeting was interactive and allowed community dwellers to raise several concerns they had with the Police. Director Kromah used the opportunity to address those

Citizens in Point Four, New Kru Town raised several issues related to ineffective in their community and Police Inspector Nathaniel Sudue and the Zonal Commander for Bushrod Island was present to address citizens’ concerns. Deputy Minister of Information for Administration and coordinator of Government’s Open Government Partnership (OGP), Hon. Norris Tweah and Representative Bhofal Chambers also made remarks. In the Peace Island community, Police Inspector Nathaniel Sudue and the Zonal Commander for Congo Town and Sinkor addressed concerns raised by citizens of the Peace Island Community. The leadership of the local motorcyclist association was present and spoke about persistent harassment from police officers. The issue of payment of cost to transport police officers was raised. However, the community agreed that the Liberian police was logistcally challenged and nothing was wrong in the police being transported to a crime scene or to apprehend a criminal.

Inspector Sudue and Minister Norris Tweah and the CENTAL team also visited the GSA Road/Zubah Town Communities. All of the forums were well received by community dwellers and CENTAL ackmowledges the cooperation and collaboration of the Liberia National Police (LNP).

A publication of the Center for Transparency and Accountability in Liberia (CENTAL)

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UNDERSTANDING POLICE CORRUPTION Corruption is the misuse of entrusted authority for personal gain. According to Roebuck and Barker (1974: 118), police corruption is “any type of proscribed behavior engaged in by a law enforcement officer who receives or expects to receive, by virtue of his official position, an actual or potential unauthorized material reward or gain.” The Police is one of the institutions that ensure citizens obey laws and regulations. A police officer is corrupt and misuses his au¬thority when he acts in a manner designed to produce personal gain or for others (superiors or criminals). The misuse of police authority weakens the capacity of the organization to deal effectively with crimes and other violations. Police corruption is harmful to citizens who are beneficiaries of police services. As law enforcers, the po¬lice must act professionally to win citizens’ confidence in order to induce law abiding behavior from citizens.

Corruption weakens the credibility of the police as law enforcers, builds a negative public image and increases lawlessness in the so¬ciety.

• The failure to arrest and prosecute suspects who have violated the law.

• Allowing drunk drivers off without a charge • Colluding to drop an inquiry or an investigation pre¬maturely, undermining public trust in the system and preventing the charging and prosecution of suspects.

• The failure to inspect locations or premises where vi¬olations occur and where an officer’s presence might curtail the illegal activity.

• The failure to raid drug spots because the police are themselves customers of the centers. (Many police of¬ficers take marijuana and are unprepared to close down drug joints) • The failure to send police patrols to areas where crimi¬nals operate due to bribery.

• The reduction in the seriousness of a charge where the perpetrator offers a bribe or any personal advantage to the officer concerned. This might occur where there is a particular relationship between the officer and the per¬petrator of the offence.

• Providing more police protection or presence than is normally desirable at a location, thus leaving out areas that have more need.

• The use of police properties for purposes other than police work depriving police officers performing vital police duties of use of these facilities. Use of vehicles, by senior officers, when they are more needed for op¬erations.

• Another important form of corruption is arranging ac¬cess to confidential records or modifying such records for the benefit of the criminal. This impacts on the con¬fidentiality of police documents and undermines impor¬tant intelligence gathering and maintenance.

EFFECTS OF POLICE CORRUPTION Police corruption impacts a broad spectrum of society as well as socio-economic and development outcomes.

Corruption-induced inadequacy in police enforcement of the rule of law affects all citizens, particularly the marginalized and impoverished, who are usually unable to buy justice.

• Impacts development outcomes as citizens and foriegn guests (tourists and investors) feel unsafe to conduct business that could contributes to national development and poverty reduction.

• Failure to enforce the law because of corruption encour¬ages and spreads serious anti-social behavior.

• Administrative control structure of the police agency becomes increasingly ineffective when influenced by corrupt outsiders.

• The police engages in “quiet corruption” when they receive pay for work that they do not perform. They are absent from assigned areas or will use assigned vehicles for non-police work. Use of working hours to watch movies on official computers or invite long conversation when work is available • Supervisory structures are ineffective because police supervisors lose control over subordinates, thereby af¬fecting the effective functioning of the police structure.

• Citizens revert to taking the law into their hands because they are certain that taking a case to the police will only provide an opportunity for bribery. www.liberiacorruptionwatch.org

Liberia Corruption Watch | 9

Corruption Humor Helpful Wife & Police Officer A male driver is pulled over by a cop and the following conversation takes place: Man: What’s the problem officer?

Cop: You were going at least 75 in a 55 zone.

Man: No sir, I was going 65.

Wife: Oh Harry. You were going 80.

(Man gives his wife a dirty look.)

Cop: I’m also going to give you a ticket for your broken tail light.

Man: Broken tail light? I didn’t know about a broken tail light!

Wife: Oh Harry, you’ve known about that tail light for weeks.

(Man gives his wife a dirty look.)

Cop: I’m also going to give you a citation for not wearing your seat belt.

Man: Oh, I just took it off when you were walking up to the car.

Wife: Oh Harry, you never wear your seat belt.

Man: Shut your mouth, woman!

Cop: Ma’am, does your husband always talk to you this way?

Wife: No, only when he’s drunk.

Kenyan political math A kenyan politician went to the US to visit his counterpart. When the senator invited him home for dinner, the minister was very impressed by the lavish mansion, grounds and the costly furnishings. He asked “How can you afford all this on a meagre senator’s salary?”

The senator smiled knowingly and took him to the window.

“Can you see the river?”

“Yes” “Can you see the bridge over it?”

“Of course”, said the minister.

“10 percent”, said the senator smugly.

Some time later, he had occasion to pay a return visit. The Kenyan minister lavished all hospitality on him. When they came to the house, the American was stunned by the huge palace the minister had built, glittering with precious art, hundreds of servants etc. etc.

“How can you possibly afford this, on a salary in Shilings?’, he asked.

The minister called him to the window.

“See the river over there?”

“Sure”, cried the senator.

“Can you see the bridge over it?”

The senator looked, was confused, peered closely and said “No, I don’t see any bridge.”

“100 percent”, said the minister !!

Witty Indian Politician Witty Indian Politician!!!!! NASA was interviewing professionals to be sent to Mars.

Only one person could go, and he will not return to Earth.

The first applicant, an American engineer, was asked how much he wanted to be paid for going. “A million dollars”, he answered, “because I wish to donate it to M.I.T.” The next applicant, a Russian doctor, was asked the same question. He asked for two million dollars. “I wish to give a million to my family, he explained, “and leave the other million for the advancement of medical research.”

The last applicant was a INDIAN POLITICIAN. When asked how much money he wanted, he whispered in the interviewer’s ear, “Three million dollars.” “Why so much more than the others?” the interviewer asked. The Indian Politician replied, $1 million is for you, I’ll keep $1 million, and we’ll give the American engineer $1 million and send him to Mars.”

Read more at: http://www.caclubindia.com/forum/share-jokes-on-corruption--163088.asp#.U124gVOUl3I

A publication of the Center for Transparency and Accountability in Liberia (CENTAL)

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TIME TO WAKE UP CAMPAIGN ...CENTAL MOBILIZES COMMUNITIES TO FIGHT CORRUPTION In a bid to mobilize citizens against corruption globally, Transparency International (TI) launched the Time To Wake Up (TTWU) Campaign. The campaign is a global call for TI to work through its local chapters around the world to sensitize local communities on issues of corruption and the impact this menace has on the growth and development of local communities. CENTAL galvanizes Liberians against corruption at the national and sub-national levels of Liberia and found the campaign an ideal opportunity to enhance its proactive engagement with citizens. The TTWU provides a clarion call for Liberians to wake up from their slumber and vigorously speak out against the prevalence of corruption.

Time To Wake Up campaign has the objectives to communicate to a greater number of people, particularly by showing the human cost of corruption, advocate for change in the behavior of governments, corporations and individuals and increase citizen participation in the TI movement. Furthermore, it encourages learning and sharing experiences among TI chapters in order to improve TI’s ability to campaign as a movement.

The campaign is characterized by public forums, talk shows, parades, and other platforms including information, education and communication materials useful for public sensitization that increase momentum to engage corrupt public officials. Strategic partners and development experts from government, private sector, civil society, the media among others, are also part of the campaign. The events are interactive and participatory and allow the space for citizens to express themselves freely and without intimidation about the intricacies of corruption.

CENTAL took the TTWU campaign to the Lakpasee and 12th Street communities in Sinkor. The discussions held in the Lakpazee community was animated and allowed community dwellers to engage the speaker and CENTAL officers present about issues related to integrity in government. The first speaker was Mr. Sarnyenneh Dickson, the acting Coordinator of the National Integrity Forum of Liberia and an anti-corruption activist who has been in the vanguard with CENTAL for the last nine years. He spoke on the topic: “Demanding integrity from public officials: challenges and prospects.” He stressed the need for us to legislate policies that would compel government officials to exhibit prudence in the exercise of their day-to-day responsibilities. He decried the national legislature for failing to pass into law the Code of Conduct for Public Officials, which he said would empower citizens with the necessary information and gave them the legal right to question the integrity of national leaders. He further asserted that the Legislature’s failure to create a national code of conduct is a violation of their constitutional duties, as the Liberian Constitution in Article 90b requires the Legislature to prescribe a Code of Conduct for public officials and employees.

He concluded by admonishing the audience of the need for us to combine forces to compel our leaders to act in our interest, to demand transparency and accountability for those resources we have entrusted with them to manage.

Then, the audience was given the opportunity to ask questions that could clarify their doubt about some of the issues that were raised during the discussion and to also make comments about what their perceptions are about the issues that came out of the discussion and what we can do collectively to compel our national leaders to act on our behalf. Some of the participants shared their experiences of corruption in their community. They told stories of how marketers cheated them by mixing cholera with water to increase its quantity to make more profit and even mashing the bottom of rice cups to reduce the quantity it can hold to allow them make more profit, something which was also identified as an integrity problem.

The speaker at the 12th street community forum that took place around the WVS Tubman High School in Sinkor was Mr. Thomas Quaye. Mr. Quaye spoke about “the history and role of corruption in the Liberian Governance dilemma; challenges and prospects.” He methodically narrated to our audience the role and impact of corruption from the origin of our country to the present. He further explain what have been done, and what we are currently doing to fight this menace stressing that there is the need for us to do more as the effort made in the past and that are being made to fight this national disease does not seem to be tough enough. Moreover, he linked corruption to hike in the prices of basic commodities as businesses were pestered to pay bribe to our government officers. He averred that major government clinics and hospitals are opened without essential drugs; public schools are being staff with unqualified people and school supplies are diverted to ends unlinked to education. He called on the audience to unite and stand up against corruption, as it was the time to really wake up against corruption.

The Community of West Point benefited from the next forum. Our last public forum for this pilot stage of our project took us to the Township of West Point near Monrovia. Our speaker for that occasion should have been Pastor Gardea Johnson (founder and overseer of the restoration Baptist church located on the Old Road), who because of some other unforeseen circumstances was represented by one of his able lieutenants Bro. Eriah Gbah. He spoke on the topic: “The Role of the Church In The Fight Against Corruption In Liberia”.

Mr. Gbar reading from a prepared text criticized the churches’ role of past and present for their stance against corruption which he described as lukewar, and accused them of honoring corrupt officials and ordinary citizens in their churches, and even making some

of them fathers and mothers of the year which he declared as being against the will of God. He further admonished all the churches of Liberia to join this fight against corruption by publicly setting integrity standards and demanding compliance first from members which by extension would be replicated on the national level. He declared corruption as sin citing many biblical

references, and reminded and warned all Christians against the practice of acts he described as corruption. He called on the legislature to speedily passed the code of conduct that has languished before them for nearly nine(9) years now. He also called the body of Christ in Liberia to excommunicate any of its members who is a Government Official and who have been convicted of corruption. He criticized President Sirleaf for her passive role in the fight against corruption, and also criticized other churches like the catholic churches that in the past were among some of the strongest voices against corruption. He retorted, why are you quiet now is there no corruption here today? No, that can’t be truth, there is even more corruption going on in this government than we ever experience in other government that you criticized. He concluded by pledging his church’s support to this renew call to stand against corruption and promise to rally his church to support any genuine call on government to be more transparent and accountable to its citizens.

The forum ended by allowing our participants to ask questions about those issues that came out of the meeting that they did not understand and to make comments and suggestions that would further the aim and objectives of the project.

Liberia Country Team Completes Waste Collection Monitoring cont’d from back page The Liberian Country Team sought to address the problem of opaque procurement and contracting processes that have allowed corruption to flourish while undermining effective provision of services to citizens. Public accountability and substantive citizens’ participation and access to pertinent information related to municipal projects and services remains a challenge. Funds provided by international partners are expended without the participation of communities. Communities’ participation in planning and subsequent implementation and monitoring of projects is minimal. Public procurement is guided by specific guidelines under the Public Procurement and Concession Act that seek to improve transparency, accountability and value for money, but these guidelines are usually abused and shrouded in secrecy.

The LCT through its multi-stakeholder platform allowed different entities with unique skill sets to tackle the perennial problem of ineffective procurement practices through monitoring and evaluation of municipal contracts. The monitoring process placed emphasis on the level of access of relevant information to community people. The platform included organizations committed to tackling corruption and improving governance in procurement, concessions and contracting processes. By amalgamating expertise from entities in the public and business sectors and civil society, much was leveraged for a successful monitoring outcome.

The LCT showcased its work at a regional meeting of country teams from Ghana, Sierra Leone and Nigeria as part of the West Africa Contract Monitoring Network (WACMN). The meeting in Accra also brought together representatives from East Southern Africa who were interested in information sharing and peer learning. The Liberia Country Team took a delegation of 10 persons and was led by National Coordinator Thomas Doe Nah of the CENTAL. Three of members of the delegation came from the Monrovia City Corporation.

You Too Can FIGHT CORRUPTION A publication of the Center for Transparency and Accountability in Liberia (CENTAL)

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China Union Begins Shipment of Iron Ore - Will it make Bong, Margibi, and Montserado counties better off?

China Union shipped its first consignment of 50,000 metric tons of iron ore from Bong Mines in February heralding its intent to meet its contractual obligations to Liberia. The company has revamped infrastructure formerly used by the Bong Mining Company and paved the road leading from Kakata to Bong Mines. It has renovated the Bong Town School and the local hospital. The company’s exploitation of iron ore from the Bong mines provides an opportunity for the Liberian government to create jobs through direct employment with the company, but most importantly by triggering more jobs and service delivery through effective reinvestment of revenues accrued from the concession.

China Union’s mineral development agreement (MDA) with the Government of Liberia commits it to invest US$ 2.6 billion to renovate and revitalize the Bong mines. Having revitalized the mines and made it operational, the company expects to export 500,000 tons of iron ore by the turn of the year, amounting to 50,000 tons per month. This translates into approximately US$1 million in royalties, US$2.5 million in other tax revenues, and US$3.5 million into the County Social Development Fund.

The shipment of ore from Bong Mines is noteworthy, but one wonders whether the exploitation of ore from Bong Mines will lead to improved livelihood of citizens of Bong, Margibi and Montserado counties? The three counties receive US$3.5 million as County Social Development Fund distributed as follows: Bong US$1,750,000, Margibi 875,000 and Montserrado US$875,000. The impact of CSDF is questionable with squabbles between legislators and locals officials and citizens constantly protesting about mismanagement of the funds and the negligible effect it is having on their lives. Audits conducted by the General Auditing Commission (GAC) and monitor-

ing evaluations done by civil society organizations show that CSDF are being misapplied and several projects do not represent value for money. The huge drive to lure investors for exploiting the mineral wealth of Liberia brings back memories of the fifties to nineties when our resources were exploited with minimum benefit to communities and cities closest to mining operations.

Speaking at the program commemorating the first shipment, President Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf vowed to continue with her vision for long-term economic growth and development for Liberians. “Let me say how pleased I am to be part of this ceremony,” She declared. “Sometimes we forget, sometimes mischievously, sometimes we are just uninformed about these developments. In 2009, when we made the first visit to Bong Mines, it took us hours to get from Kakata to that point. Upon arrival, there were no schools, no jobs, no hospital but today, though we haven’t reached where we want to be, we have come a long way.’’ The Chinese Ambassador to Liberia averred that ‘‘the launching of the first shipment of Iron Ore from Bong Mines is a new chapter for friendly and cooperative relations between China and Liberia,’’ and noted that ‘’the successful operation of this project has made a remarkable contribution to enhance the economic and social development in Liberia.’’

Speeches to highlight worthwhile milestones in investment in our natural resource sector is useful, but the government has to go beyond words and ensure that it implements good governance regimes aligned with EITI principles and other agreed natural resource charters. National and sub-national use of revenues must be transparent and those charged with implementation made accountable.

LEITI Secretariat Scouts New Head ...as Samson Tokpah Resigns

The Liberia Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (LEITI) has lost its Head of Secretariat Samson S. Tokpah to the

were identified and the stakeholder’s process strengthened.

Another key achievement credited to him is the establishment of the Extractive Club Program, a LEITI outreach initiative aimed at increasing public awareness on the management of Liberia’s natural resources. The program is implemented in various high schools, and is designed to allow participating students learn more about the extractive industries and contribute to policy decision making around the sector through series of activities, including on-campus series, peer-to-peer discussions, inter-high school debates, mentorship and field trips amongst others.

In a blog posted on the EITI website on October 21, 2013, the Secretariat described Mr. Tokpah’s interest and commitment to advancing resource transparency in Liberia as ‘overwhelming’. In its December 2012 Report, the UN Panel of Experts on Liberia also hailed the LEITI for what it referred to as “steady progress made by the Agency in performing its mandate”.

international EITI Secretariat in Oslo, Norway. Mr. Tokpah becomes the EITI Regional Director for Anglophone Africa.

Togba leaves the LEITI after three years of successfully catapulting the LEITI to national and international prominence.

Mr. Tokpah assumed the position as head of the LEITI Secretariat when the institution was faced with leadership and capacity constraints, but his commitment to the EITI process has enabled the LEITI to make significant gains in discharging its functions. He led the LEITI to produce the 4th EITI Report for Liberia and the Post Contract Award Process Audit Report, the first report of this kind in the global EITI implementing records. Under Tokpah’s leadership, the LEITI also developed a strategic two-year work plan in which institutional priorities

The EITI is a global scheme aimed at promoting transparency over revenues from extractive resources. The institution’s activities are being implemented in more than 40 countries. Liberia has been a pace setter in the EITI Community, and the recent gains made by the LEITI under Tokpah’s administration has been lauded by many.

Mr. Tokpah’s resignation took effect on the 30th of April 2014.

At a farewell dinner in his honor and hosted by the LEITI MSG at the Palm Spring Hotel, on Friday, May 2, Mr. Tokpah expressed his commitment to work for global transparency and noted that his promotion is a promotion for Liberia. MSG members including the Senate Pro Tempore Gbezohngar Findley praised Mr. Tokpah for his professionalism and ability to navigate successfully the many challenges in effective natural resource governance. Several staff of the Secretariat praised their departing boss and they gifted him a plaque and certificate of recognition.

Liberia Corruption Watch | 11

Former FDA Officials Indicted

What about the private sector violators?

...Global Witness raises concerns

Moses Wogbeh - Former Managing Director

The Government of Liberia took a commendable step when it indicted officials of the Forestry Development Authority (FDA) and Ministry of Lands, Mines and Energy for economic sabotage and criminal conspiracy. Those indicted for their role in illegally awarding logging concessions under Private Use Permits (PUP). included Moses Wogbeh - former Managing Director; John Kantor - former technical manager, Torwan Yantay and Augustine B. M. Johnson - former GIS Managers, Benedict Sagbeh - in-house legal counsel and Janga Kamara - former commercial manager.

Others from the Ministry of Lands, Mines and Energy are David Blayee, former County Surveyor, Grand Bassa County and Maxwell Gwee, former Director of Cartography The indictment recalls that the defendants did knowingly conspire to defraud the Government of Liberia of revenue, by facilitating the wrongful and illegal issuance of up to Sixty (61) PUPs that authorized commercial logging operations on nearly 2.5 million hectares of land area of Liberia.

The indictment further recalls that between April 2010 up to and including December 2011, the Co-Defendants Moses Wogbeh, Benedict Sagbeh, John Kantor, TorwanYantay and Augustine B.M. Johnson knowingly, recklessly, and purposefully conspired and facilitated the issuance of, and caused to be issued, up to Fifty Six (56) Private Use Permits (Licenses), over community deeded forest lands which are indicative of Community Forest Land that by definition are governed and regulated by the Community Rights Law(2009), knowing fully well that Private Use Permits (PUPs) should only be issued to private landowners or their privies, in contravention of Sections 5.6(d) and 18.9(b) of the National Forestry Reform Law (2006), and 2.3(b) of the Community Rights Law(2009), thereby depriving communities of Revenue and the Government of Liberia of land rental which it would have been entitled to had the license been issued under the Community Rights Law (2009) specifically in consonance with Sections 3.1 and 6.5 of the Community Rights Law (2009).

However, while the government’s efforts to indict the former FDA and MLME officials is indeed commendable, concerns have been raised about the failure of the government to act against private entities such as Atlantic Resources and individuals including John Gbesie, Augustus Abram and Ben Kofie. Global Witness noted that the government must ensure that all those involved, including other senior government officials and representatives of logging companies, are held to account. They indicated that some key actors in the PUP scandal are missing from the government’s indictment.

Also commenting, Silas Siakor, a Campaigner with SDI. noted that “these are good first steps, but we still have work to do, the government’s own investigation found that responsibility for the PUP scandal spreads far wider and it is critical that all government officials and logging companies that profit from breaking our laws are held to account. The Ministry of Justice when contacted noted that this is the first step in PUP related prosecutions.

CHEATING IN SPORTS IS WRONG www.liberiacorruptionwatch.org

A publication of the Center for Transparency and Accountability in Liberia (CENTAL)

Enforcement of Laws is the key to Development

LIBERIA

I Support Open Expenditure for a Better Future

Newsletter Published by CENTAL

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May 2014

Issue No. 7

“Liberia is underdeveloped because we allow corruption to undermine the enforcement of our Laws” - Thomas Doe Nah - Executive Director, CENTAL

l a t t i M r o l e c r A s n i o j n o i e n r U O a n o r I Chin g n i t r s o n o p i t x a E c i l p in m I e re th a t a h -W

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Liberia Country Team Completes Waste Collection Monitoring

-Presents project Impact at World Bank Event in Accra

The Liberia Country Team for contract monitoring has for the last two years monitored secondary and primary waste collection in the City of Monrovia. The Team engaged the city government and interacted with communities demarcated in five zones linked to the primary/ secondary waste collection chain. The five zones include: Zone One: New Kru Town - Mombo Town; Zone Two - Slipway, West Point, Buzzy Quarters; Zone Three - Clara Town, Bong Mine Bridge, New Georgia; Zone Four - New Georgia, Chicken Soup Factor, Stockton Creek Community; Zone Five - Fiamah and Matadi; Zone Six - Wleh Town Community.

In the six zones in Monrovia, the LCT monitored and assessed thirty community-based enterprises. The project impacted more than 7,000 persons in communities in the city who gained new knowledge on public procurement and the contours of the MCC in their daily lives. Selected monitors from various communities learned how to engage community dwellers and scrutinize discrepancies in services provided by the MCC. Members of the Liberia Country Team and officials from the Monrovia City Corporation at the West Africa Contract Monitoring meeting in Accra

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