By: Anthony Q. Jiffan, Jr.
MONROVIA – Former Executive Chairperson of the Liberia Anti-Corruption Commission (LACC), Cllr. James Nyepan Verdier, Jr., is calling for significantly increased and sustained financing for the country’s anti-corruption institutions. He warned that Liberia cannot win the fight against corruption while starving integrity agencies of the resources required to operate effectively.
Speaking at the National Anti-Corruption Financing Policy Dialogue—held under the theme “Financing Anti-Corruption Efforts to Promote Transparency, Accountability and Good Governance in Liberia”—Verdier underscored that corruption remains one of Liberia’s greatest obstacles to national development.
“Corruption is not just a moral failing; it is an economic cancer,” he said. “It diverts public resources from schools, clinics, and roads. It erodes trust in our institutions, weakens our democracy, and disproportionately hurts the poor and vulnerable.”
Verdier argued that although Liberia has established multiple anti-graft bodies—including the LACC, the General Auditing Commission (GAC), the Internal Audit Agency (IAA), the Financial Intelligence Agency (FIA), and the Public Procurement and Concessions Commission (PPCC)—their work is routinely undermined by meager and inconsistent funding.
“Anti-corruption institutions should be our primary defense, but they are often critically underfunded,” he noted, stressing that these entities cannot be expected to deliver results without the tools and capacity needed to investigate, prosecute, and prevent corruption.
He proposed a series of financing reforms, including dedicated national budget allocations and institutional financial independence. “We must allocate sufficient national budget to the LACC, GAC, PPCC, IAA, FIA, and others,” he said. “We must also ensure financial independence so these bodies can report, investigate, and pursue prosecution without fear or favor.”
According to Verdier, sustainable multi-year financing that blends public, donor, and limited philanthropic support would minimize political interference, enable long-term planning, and promote credible oversight systems. He described Liberia’s current approach as a paradox, where institutions mandated to investigate powerful officials remain financially dependent on those same officials.
He cited political interference, retaliatory budget cuts during high-profile investigations, insufficient funding for complex financial crimes, and the lack of autonomy in financial management as persistent structural challenges. Verdier urged the Legislature—not the Executive—to take the lead in setting budgets for anti-corruption bodies.
Among his recommendations were legislative-controlled budgeting for integrity institutions, multi-year funding commitments, legal protections against arbitrary budget cuts, and allowing agencies to retain a percentage of recovered assets. He noted that global studies show recovery rates significantly increase when anti-corruption agencies have financial autonomy tied to asset recovery.
Verdier emphasized that proper financing of integrity bodies enhances national governance. Adequate and independent funding, he said, would improve transparency, strengthen accountability systems, enable robust public databases, and restore citizen trust. “Every dollar recovered or saved by an integrity institution is a dollar that can be spent on public good,” he stated.
He concluded by urging policymakers, civil society, development partners, and citizens to push for constitutional and legal reforms that grant true independence to anti-corruption institutions. Verdier also commended CENTAL and the Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency (SIDA) for convening the dialogue and sustaining efforts to improve Liberia’s governance sector.
Giving an overview of the program, CENTAL’s Executive Director, Anderson D. Miamem, reaffirmed the organization’s commitment to championing stronger anti-corruption financing mechanisms in Liberia.
He noted that this year’s dialogue is supported by the Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency (SIDA) through the Embassy of Sweden in Liberia and it is the second edition of the National Anti-Corruption Financing Policy Dialogue which serves as a critical platform for coordination and accountability.
Miamem said the forum seeks to advance three key objectives which include increase advocacy for improved budgetary support to Liberia’s anti-graft institutions, enhance information sharing among stakeholders on progress, challenges, and future priorities in the fight against corruption; and strengthen partnerships among government institutions, the media, civil society, citizens, and development partners to reinforce collective anti-corruption efforts.
He emphasized that meaningful action against corruption requires sustained collaboration and consistent financing, noting that CENTAL will continue to mobilize public support and engage national actors to ensure integrity institutions are equipped to fulfill their mandates.
For her part, European Union head of delegation to Liberia, Nona Deprez reiterated the EU commitment to supporting Liberia’s anti-corruption efforts, emphasizing both financial backing and strengthened oversight mechanisms to ensure transparency and accountability in public governance.
Deprez noted that the EU’s engagement is fully aligned with the ambitions and priorities laid out by Liberian stakeholders for governance reforms. “We work at the policy level through continuous dialogue, pursuing the same objectives you have articulated,” she said.
She reaffirmed the EU’s support for increased and improved financing for institutions on the frontlines of combating corruption, including the Liberia Anti-Corruption Commission (LACC), the General Auditing Commission (GAC), and the Internal Audit Agency (IAA). However, she stressed that funding alone is not enough.
“We must look not only at the resources available but at how those resources are spent,” Deprez emphasized. “That is why we are deeply engaged in oversight, supporting transparency in public financial management, and implementing higher-level instruments to reinforce accountability.”