MONROVIA, LIBERIA-The United States Department of State has noted an ineffective implementation of the laws on corruption by the Liberian Government.
In its 2021 Country Report on Human Rights Practices, the State Department said:” The Liberian Government was not effective in implementing Liberian Law, which provides criminal penalties for bribery, abuse of office, economic sabotage and other corruption related offences committed by officials.”
It cited numerous of Government corruption during the year, with officials frequently in corrupt practices with impunity.
The report added that impunity continued for individuals who committed human rights abuses, including the ignoring of multiple investigative and audit reports.
Released Tuesday, April 12, 2022, by Secretary of State Anthony Blinken, the report said Government made intermittent but limited attempts to investigate and prosecute officials accused of current abuses, whether in the security forces or elsewhere in the Government.
It further indicated that there were no disappearances of people sanctioned by the Liberian Government.
It comes, despite several protests last year, over what the public believes was a series of mysterious disappearances and killings.
The State Department, however, said there were several reports that the Liberian Government or its agents committed unlawful killings.
It cited the killing of truck driver Alieu Sheriff by on-duty police officers in July 202, as classic example.
Three police officers beat and dragged Sheriff from the National Transit Authority (NTA) parking facility in Gardnerville, leaving him unconscious and later dead.
The Liberian Government’s autopsy report at the time established that Sheriff died of blunt force trauma.
Officers Samuel Borbor, Alexander Seakour and Harris Monger charged with negligent homicide and criminal facilitation.
