In the wake of the announced sanctions on three top Liberian government officials, The Global Initiative for Justice has congratulated the House Foreign Affairs Committee, Tom Lantos Human Rights Commission, the US State Department, and the United States Department of Treasury for the Sanctions imposed thus far, but called on the US government to carry out more similar sanctions on other government’s characters still behind the curtains.
The U.S. Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) on Monday, August 15, 2022, designated Liberian government officials Nathaniel McGill, Sayma Syrenius Cephus, and Bill Twehway for their involvement in ongoing public corruption in Liberia.
These officials, according to the Sanction documents, were designated pursuant to Executive Order (E.O.) 13818, which builds upon and implements the Global Magnitsky Human Rights Accountability Act and targets perpetrators of serious human rights abuse and corruption around the world.
According to the US Treasury Department, the United States is committed to working with the people and the Government of Liberia to elevate countering corruption as a priority by bolstering public sector anti-corruption capacity and reviewing and re-evaluating criteria for bilateral and multilateral assistance, including transparency and accountability.
The GIJ’s Chairman, Mr. Michael Mueller, once told members of the Tom Lantos Human Rights Commission at the June 2021 hearing, that his institution was also interested to see effective efforts applied for the establishment of the War and Economic Crimes Court for Liberia.
Today’s press release August 16, 2022, once again rallies the US Government for the establishment of the War and Economic Crimes Court in Liberia.
According to the GIJ Chairman’s statement at the House Foreign Affairs Committee, Tom Lantos Human Rights Commission June 2021 hearing, perpetrators of atrocity crimes and other human rights and humanitarian law offenses were steering the affairs of a nation with great potential in the wrong direction.
Mr. Mueller said, once the culture of impunity is reversed, Liberia could look into a brighter future.
Finally, the GIJ’s Chairman further emphasized that under current conditions, the government in Liberia is engaged in lawless behavior and has demonstrated a complete lack of goodwill towards the democratic process, eliminating all opportunities for peaceful engagements and interactions in a free non-threatening environment.
