MONROVIA – President Joseph Nyuma Boakai has issued Executive Order No. 154, immediately suspending the controversial contract between the Liberia Telecommunications Authority (LTA) and Telecom International Alliance (TIA) for telecommunication traffic monitoring services. The decision follows damning findings from the General Auditing Commission (GAC), the Liberia Anti-Corruption Commission (LACC), and the LTA Board of Commissioners, all of which concluded that the multimillion-dollar agreement was tainted by fraud, illegal procurement procedures, and serious violations of the Public Procurement and Concessions Act (PPCC).
The Executive Order, signed on October 29, 2025, marks one of the strongest anti-corruption moves yet by the Boakai administration. According to the GAC audit, the contract contained major irregularities that exposed the Government of Liberia to substantial revenue losses. The LACC investigation, which followed the GAC report, found that the LTA awarded the contract to TIA despite a clear PPCC recommendation warning against such an award, rendering the contract “illegal and voidable ab initio.”
The Executive Order highlights troubling revelations regarding TIA’s establishment and qualification. Records show that the company was created in the U.S. state of Delaware just four days after receiving bid documents for the Liberian contract. It was later incorporated in Liberia nearly ten months after being awarded the contract, an anomaly that critics say undermines the legitimacy of the procurement process. Questions also surfaced about TIA’s qualifications, with the LACC concluding that the company lacked sufficient technical capacity, financial strength, and past performance history to justify its award.
President Boakai’s order further exposes how TIA, initially bidding for 35 percent of the contract’s revenue, was inexplicably granted 49 percent during the signing, an adjustment the LACC and GAC flagged as unjustified and detrimental to the state. The contract was also illegally extended for an additional 20 years without evidence of value for money or demonstrated improvements in deliverables, a move the Executive Order describes as contrary to procurement laws and public interest.
“The establishment of fraud in the procurement of the TIA contract renders the contract void,” the Executive Order states, pointing to multiple statutory and procedural breaches. The LTA Board of Commissioners had already adopted a formal resolution calling for the suspension and repeal of the contract, citing widespread violations that bypassed essential procurement steps.
In Section 1 of the Executive Order, President Boakai directs the LTA to immediately cease implementation of the contract and orders the Ministry of Justice to pursue the matter in line with the Penal Code and rule of law. This signals a potential wave of legal consequences for those involved in the procurement and execution of the agreement.
Recognizing the contract’s importance to national security and revenue protection, the Executive Order includes interim measures requiring the LTA to coordinate with the PPCC to urgently engage a qualified service provider. The order mandates that this temporary procurement process follow all applicable laws while ensuring continuity of telecommunications traffic monitoring services, system integration, and technical support.
President Boakai has also instructed the Executive Branch to formally notify the Legislature and seek legislative action to de-ratify any laws or approvals previously connected to the TIA–LTA agreement. This move underscores the administration’s intent to reverse not only the contract but any legislative backing it may have received.
The Executive Order takes immediate effect and will remain active unless revoked or amended by subsequent executive or legislative action. The suspension marks a major turning point in the government’s ongoing effort to tackle corruption and irregularities in public procurement, sending a clear message that no institution or contract is exempt from scrutiny.
As the Ministry of Justice prepares to launch its legal review, questions remain about who within the former LTA administration authorized or benefited from the irregular contract. With the investigation now moving from administrative review to potential criminal proceedings, the coming weeks could determine the scope of accountability, and whether this marks a new era of enforcement in Liberia’s governance.
