MONROVIA: A local anti-corruption organization, Center for Transparency and Accountability in Liberia (CENTAL), has advanced several recommendations to President George Weah following the dismissal of two officials of the Liberia Institute of Statistics and Geo-Information Services (LISGIS), including the then Acting Director General, Wilmot Smith and his then Deputy for Statistics and Data processing, Alex Williams.
CENTAL also welcomed President Weah’s decision to dismiss the two LISGIS officials, stressing that the institution has been in the media for all the wrong reasons, including gross incompetence in managing activities and processes, thus delaying the conduct of the National Housing and Population Census.
“Additionally, multiple acts of corruption and financial malpractices reported by the media and even highly-placed individuals within LISGIS have not been treated with the required urgency by the President of Liberia, the Board of Directors and the Legislature. This is extremely sad,” CENTAL’s Executive Director, Anderson Maimen said.
CENTAL also indicated that President Weah’s decision which led to the immediate dismissal of the two LISGIS top-Executives is limited in scope.
CENTAL wants all those at the center of the alleged and confirmed incidences of corruption and incompetence at the institution, including the Director General, Comptroller and other officials to be removed.
Maimen noted that Liberians deserve better from their government and all those entrusted with specific responsibilities, including officials of LISGIS.
“Therefore, we wish to recommend the followings as measures that will help to restore public trust and confidence in LISGIS, especially activities and processes related to conduct of the 2022 Census,” he averred.
Among many things, CENTAL calls for audit of LISGIS Accounts by the General Auditing Commission (GAC), especially those containing the Census funds for which there are reported claims of questionable disbursements/payments that have been made.
Such Audit, according to the transparency group, should be immediate and timely and the recommendations fully implemented to ensure proper accountability of public resources and assets.
“That President George Weah dismisses other officials of LISGIS named in the LACC investigative report. Those equally responsible for the mess at LISGIS cannot be allowed to continue presiding over activities related to the Census, including Mr. Lawrence George, who has been named by the President to at act as head of the institution,” CENTAL said.
He stressed that the Ministry of Justice be mandated by the President to timely act on the June 2022 investigative report from the Liberian Anti-Corruption Commission, covering corruption allegations against the leadership of LISGIS.
CENTAL also recommended that the President establishes an independent panel with a mandate to review the entire preparatory processes around the Census to identify and recommend solutions to existing gaps that may further undermine the robustness of the Census process.
“That the Board of Directors be warned against getting directly involved with dealings of the institution. Reports of individuals closely connected to some members of the Board of LISGIS receiving consultancy services from the institution undermines their ability to make timely and independent decision (s) on critical issues bordering on the entity.”
The group alleged that the President’s poor handling of the initial issues reported equally contributed to and exacerbated the situation at LISGIS.
