By J. Ebenezer Daygbor
The declaration of assets by government officials in Liberia has been a very contagious debate, but in spite of the constitutionality debate, the General Auditing Commission (GAC) says it will audit officials who will be declaring their assets to the Liberia Anti-Corruption Commission.
The GAC made its intention known in a letter to the House of Representatives of the Liberian Legislature. The communication dated, June 20th, and read in the plenary of the house on June 22nd, states that the decision of the auditing house in compliance with a statutory mandate, cited in section 53.3 of the Executive Law of 1972.
The provision of Part X section 10.2 of the National Code of Conduct Act of 2014 dictates asset declaration by government officials. The GAC says it commence an audit of asset declaration systems of Liberia soon.
The GAC said that the purpose of the letter is to outline the intent of the audit, including the terms of the audit engagement, the nature, and limitations of the audit. According to the GAC the asset audit is of the responsibility of the auditing office, and that all auditors and the institutions having authority to manage the asset declaration systems in the audit and the terms of the audit engagement.
GAC added that the audit will be conducted with the objective of expressing an opinion on the asset declaration systems as well as the compliance with relevant domesticated laws and regulations and other international conventions including the African Union convention on preventing and combating corruption and United Nations convention against.
It is not clear as to whether the audit is in conformity of the National Elections Commission guidelines, which seek that contestants declare their asset before being qualified as candidate for the 2017 Representatives and Presidential elections.
It can be recalled; President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf on Tuesday 13, June released her latest assets information to the public putting her net worth (assets minus liability) at USD1, 707, 279.64 (one million, seven hundred and seven thousand, two hundred seventy -nine and sixty-four cent). The president’s income and assets declaration includes her gross annual salary of LRD1, 684, 500.00 and an annual allowance of USD72, 000.
According to President Sirleaf at the time she was filing her Income Assets Declaration form, she had only USD3, 255.00 cash on hand on February 2, 2017. The highest among in the President’s account, according to her declaration is the USD153, 006.00, which is in her Bank of America account situated in Charlotte, U.S.A.
President Sirleaf also has total investments in securities, stock, bonds, etc at 765, 317.00 all in the Vanguard Mutual Fund in Valley Forge, PA, U.S.A. and American Fund, Los Angeles Ca.
The President’s assets were declared before the Liberia Anti-Corruption Commission on February 2, 2017 and it also contains her income tax returns. GAC did not make clear as to whether president’s asset will be audited also.
