Monrovia-April-15-2024-TNR:In an effort to promote transparency in the country, the Center For Transparency and Accountability (CENTAL) has commended President Joseph Nyuma Boakai for the establishment of an Ombudsman.
In a statement issued over the weekend, CENTAL noted that the Office of the Ombudsman is adequately supported through the national budget, as there exists no such support in the draft 2024 national budget before the Legislature for review and passage into law.
CENTAL recommended that Cllr. Findely who is being designated by the President as head of the Ombudsman and his would-be team and co-workers should lead by example in terms of fully complying with the Code of Conduct for Public Officials and other relevant laws and policies.
“Also, we admonish them to be independent, fair, efficient, and effective in carrying out their functions, as they serve in this very important capacity,” CENTAL noted in its latest statement.
“We reiterate our commitment to work with diverse stakeholders and partners to meaningfully support national efforts to fight against corruption and promote and mainstream the culture of integrity and accountability in Liberia, across all sectors and institutions. Also, we encourage Liberians to commend/appreciate their leaders, where necessary. However, we wish to caution against settling for mediocrity or pettiness. In other words, Liberians should demand very high standards and performance from their national and local leaders, especially in line with established laws, their mandates, as well as commitments/promises made to citizens/ the public before, during and after elections,” the statement noted.
Recently, President Boakai nominated Cllr. Findley Karngar as Chairperson of the Office of Ombudsman of the Republic of Liberia. President Boakai’s nomination was in consonance with Part XII of the Code of Conduct approved on March 31, 2014, which established the Office of Ombudsman as an independent autonomous body with responsibility to enforce, oversee, monitor and evaluate adherence to the Code of Conduct.
It can be recalled that, in previous statements, CENTAL encouraged President Boakai to appoint the ombudsperson as said office is critical to ensuring compliance with the Code of Conduct, which sets out standards of behavior and conducts required of public officials and employees.
Considering the failure of past administrations to ensure the Office of Ombudsman is functional despite, flagrant abuses of the Code of Conduct, CENTAL believes that the step by President Boakai, if followed to proper fruition, would represent a capstone in the country’s anticorruption endeavors.
