MONROVIA – The Assets Recovery and Property Retrieval Task Force (AREPT), once hailed as the tip of the spear in Liberia’s war on corruption, now stands on the brink of collapse not due to a failure of mission but because of financial abandonment. At a time when public trust in governance hangs by a thread and the very credibility of President Boakai’s administration is being tested, the exclusion of this vital Taskforce from the 2025 draft national budget is more than an oversight. It’s a red flag waving in the face of accountability.
Cllr. Edwin Kla Martin, who leads the Taskforce, did not mince words during his appearance before the House of Representatives on May 22. His message was chillingly clear: no funding, no fight. Liberia’s long-standing battle against entrenched corruption is not just about declarations and slogans. It is about institutions with teeth and the resources to bite. With 28 active investigations underway, 17 of which are on the cusp of prosecution, the Taskforce has already demonstrated its potential. But without operational support, it risks becoming just another promising initiative strangled by bureaucracy and political indifference.
It is no small feat that this Taskforce, established barely a year ago under Executive Order 126 and reaffirmed in 2025 by Order 145, has made meaningful inroads into Liberia’s murky past and present. The cases span businesses, private individuals, and government officials, both current and former. These aren’t speculative witch hunts; they are evidence-driven pursuits of justice. Thirty properties under investigation for being purchased with stolen funds, 27 theft and economic sabotage cases, and efforts to trace stolen Liberian assets stashed in foreign accounts represent the kind of real work that defines reform. Yet, the government now teeters on the edge of sabotaging its own agenda.
President Boakai’s ARREST framework promised a renewed push for accountability, transparency, and recovery. But promises are only as credible as the funding that backs them. Excluding the very institution tasked with enforcement from the national budget sends a dangerous message: that anti-corruption may be politically expedient to promote but too inconvenient to finance.
This is not just a procedural lapse. It is a political and moral failing that threatens to erode public confidence in the Boakai administration. The irony is striking. While citizens are being told that the fight against corruption is a top priority, the main engine driving that effort is being left to rust. Even as international partners extend technical assistance and cooperation, Liberia itself appears unwilling to invest in its own integrity.
Cllr. Martin’s plea to lift the five-year statute of limitations on corruption cases should not fall on deaf ears. Accountability has no expiration date. Those who looted public resources should not be allowed to hide behind legal time limits. Justice delayed does not have to be justice denied if lawmakers act decisively and responsibly. But that action must begin with the basics: funding.
This column is not a call to throw money at another government office. It is a call to honor a commitment made to the Liberian people, one rooted in justice and good governance. The Taskforce has earned its stripes. Now, it needs fuel. If lawmakers fail to recast the budget to include operational support for the Assets Recovery and Property Retrieval Taskforce, they won’t just be crippling a single agency. They will be declaring that the old Liberia, the one of impunity, misuse, and theft, is still alive and well beneath the polished rhetoric of reform.
And if that becomes the legacy of this administration, it won’t be because the thieves were too smart. It will be because the country’s leaders chose not to care.
