ANC Demands Criminal Probe Into MRU Center Project, Says Boakai Administration Diverted SOE Funds Outside National Budget

MONROVIA – The Alternative National Congress is demanding a criminal investigation into a multimillion-dollar government construction project in Foya, Lofa County, alleging that the Boakai administration diverted funds from four State-Owned Enterprises outside the national budget, bypassed procurement law, and concealed the operation as a “National Secret” to avoid public scrutiny.

In a three-page letter dated May 25, 2026, signed by Secretary General Desmond U. Nimely and approved by ANC Chairman Cllr. Lafayette E.O. Gould, the opposition party told the LACC Executive Chairperson that publicly available information, official government statements, and investigative media reports had raised “profound questions” regarding the legality, transparency, accountability, and constitutional compliance surrounding the Mano River Union Center for Regional Peace and Development — a project it described as a multimillion-dollar undertaking whose full cost has never been disclosed to the public.

Construction on the project reportedly commenced on or about Sept. 10, 2024, under conditions multiple sources described as a “National Secret” initiative. Subsequent government clarifications acknowledged that the project is fully owned by the Government of Liberia and financed primarily through contributions from State-Owned Enterprises including NASSCORP, the National Port Authority, the Liberia Petroleum Refining Company, and the Liberia Electricity Corporation.

That admission, the ANC argued, is itself the basis for alarm. The party alleged that significant public funds were committed and expended outside the approved national budgetary framework and without legislative appropriation as required under the Public Financial Management Act and Article 34 of the Constitution of Liberia. It further alleged that the project bypassed mandatory procurement and competitive bidding procedures established under the Public Procurement and Concessions Act.

The ANC said SOE resources appeared to have been redirected without transparent disclosure, legislative oversight, or independent auditing mechanisms. Contradictory public statements regarding the project’s ownership, funding sources, purpose, authorization, and total cost had, the party said, “materially undermined public trust” and raised legitimate suspicion of potential abuse of public office and misuse of state resources. The reported secrecy surrounding the project’s execution, it added, may constitute deliberate circumvention of transparency and accountability safeguards established under Liberian law.

The party is calling on LACC to immediately commence a full-scale investigation into the financing, procurement, contracting, authorization, and implementation of the project. It wants the commission to determine whether provisions of the PFM Act, the PPCC Act, the Penal Law, and anti-corruption statutes were violated, and to identify all public officials, private contractors, entities, intermediaries, and institutions involved in the project’s approval, financing, and execution.

The ANC further requested that the commission examine all financial transfers, procurement records, contracts, memoranda, approvals, and SOE disbursement mechanisms associated with the project, and that it recommend appropriate criminal, civil, administrative, or restitutionary actions where violations are established. It asked that the investigation findings be published in the interest of transparency, public confidence, and democratic accountability.

The party was careful to frame its petition as a governance intervention rather than outright opposition to development. “This request is not intended to oppose legitimate national development or regional cooperation initiatives,” the letter stated, adding that development must always proceed within the framework of constitutional governance, fiscal transparency, procurement integrity, and the rule of law.

“Liberia’s democratic future depends not merely upon what projects are undertaken, but how they are undertaken,” the letter read. “No public official, institution, or political interest should be permitted to operate above the law or beyond public scrutiny.”

The petition was copied to the President Pro Tempore of the Liberian Senate, the Speaker of the House of Representatives, the General Auditing Commission, the Public Procurement and Concessions Commission, the Ministry of Justice, the diplomatic community, civil society organizations, and media institutions.