Claim: "Government officials suspended for failing to declare their assets are still receiving salaries has been found to be incorrect following our investigation."
Verdict: False and Unproven
Full Text: On July 1, 2025, Aloysius Howe, former special assistant to ex-Finance Minister Samuel D. Tweah, posted on Facebook: "On February 12, Boakai announced the suspension of all government officials who refused to declare and publish their assets. CSA was even told to withhold their salaries. Five months later, they are still on their job and still receiving salaries."
The post, which has garnered over 50 reactions, 80 comments, and 3 shares, appears to challenge President Boakai's commitment to fighting corruption.
Asset declaration serves as a crucial anti-corruption tool, requiring public officials to disclose their financial interests to prevent illicit enrichment and conflicts of interest. The LACC describes it as vital for maintaining public confidence in government leadership.
President Boakai's November 2024 directive mandated all appointed officials to comply with asset declaration requirements, with a ten-day grace period that expired before the February suspensions. His declaration aligned with the code of conduct for Liberian public officials.
Verification: The Suspension Was Real. Our verification confirmed that President Boakai did indeed suspend government officials on February 12 for non-compliance with asset declaration requirements. This action was taken in accordance with Article 2, Section 10.2(h) of the 2014 Code of Conduct Amendment, which mandates immediate suspension for officials who fail to declare assets within 30 days of appointment.
Salaries Were Actually Blocked Contrary to Howe's claim. The Civil Service Agency (CSA) announced on February 19 that it had blocked salaries for 216 noncompliant officials.
Darlington Smith, CSA deputy director general for human resources, told Stage Media: "We deducted it, we put it in the extra account, and that is what the Ministry of Education is using to purchase chairs—the one child, one chair policy. That is the money that we took from all the suspended presidential people."
LACC Confirms Salary Withholding Vivian Atoko, Chief of Office Staff at the Liberia Anti-Corruption Commission (LACC), provided additional confirmation: "The president suspended all those that did not comply and suspended their salaries till they can comply... their salaries were withheld by the CSA."
Atoko revealed that the number of non-compliant officials has dropped from over 200 to 150 as of June, with most remaining cases involving unconfirmed appointees in southeastern counties, particularly Sinoe.
The Numbers
- 216 officials initially had salaries blocked in February.
- 150 officials remain noncompliant as of June.
- The majority of the remaining cases involve unconfirmed appointees in remote areas.
Stage Media also contacted Aloysius Howe to provide evidence to prove his claim. In a WhatsApp response, Howe said, "I provided information to the public, and as a fact checker, if you want to validate this or know whether what I posted is a lie, you should first go and research at the LACC to verify the number of government officials that have declared and published their assets."
He added, "Then go to CSA and request that they state to you if the proclamation made by Boakai that all officials who have not declared and published their assets should be suspended without pay is being implemented. If true, ask them to show you the monthly list of officials whose salaries are being withheld, how much is being withheld, and where that money is going."
