Liberian president sets up task force to trace stolen state assets

Liberian President Joseph Boakai on Wednesday issued an executive order to identify and recover stolen state assets and prosecute complicit current and former officials under a crackdown on graft launched since his January inauguration.

The order will establish a task force that will have the legal mandate and state funding to investigate and retrieve wrongfully acquired government assets and seek the extradition of suspects involved, the presidency said.

It did not name any suspects or estimate the losses to the state, but cited a need to “curtail this alarming menace that has engulfed our country and address the situation of converting public assets to private use by officials placed in positions of trust.”