Published: July 2, 2025
MONROVIA – A confidential Board Resolution obtained by The Liberian Investigator has revealed that the now-suspended Director General of the Liberia Agriculture Commodity Regulatory Authority (LACRA), Christopher D. Sankolo, received formal authorization from the agency’s Board of Directors to open a United Bank for Africa (UBA) account—weeks before President Joseph Boakai suspended him over allegations of financial misconduct linked to the same account.
President Boakai on June 26 suspended Sankolo and his Deputy for Administration and Finance, Chea B. Garley, following accusations that the pair had conspired to open an unauthorized bank account to divert institutional funds. But a document titled Board of Directors Resolution 03, signed and adopted April 4, 2025, directly contradicts the basis of those claims.
The resolution, authenticated by all voting members of LACRA’s Board—including representatives from the Ministries of Agriculture, Finance, Commerce, and Gender—grants explicit approval to LACRA management “to open an additional account with UBA” as part of broader institutional financial planning.
This revelation throws into question the rationale behind the President’s suspension of the two executives, suggesting that the account in question was not clandestinely established, but rather, legally sanctioned by the governing board.
According to the resolution, the UBA account was part of a broader financial realignment that included the adoption of LACRA’s 2025 Work Plan and Operational Budget, which projected revenues of nearly US$2.8 million and expenditures of over US$2.2 million—leaving a surplus of more than half a million dollars. The Board instructed that this surplus be reserved and directed toward the renovation of the defunct Liberia Produce Marketing Corporation (LPMC) warehouses in Lofa County.
The resolution also laid out several key administrative and policy shifts. It authorized the extension of short-term staff contracts with a salary increase from US$150 to US$200 per month and approved the hiring of four professional staff members on one-year contracts, each earning US$1,000 monthly. Additionally, the Board mandated the provision of health insurance coverage for all employees and their dependents.
In a significant policy update for the agriculture sector, the Board revised terminology used within LACRA’s cocoa, coffee, and oil palm value chains—replacing the term “Agent” with “Local Produce Buyer.” Under the new framework, Local Produce Buyers are authorized to purchase directly from farmers and sell to exporters without interfering with the official Farm Gate Prices. Exporters or cooperatives supporting these buyers are entitled to a 10% commission.
The resolution bears the signatures of key government officials, including Board Chair Hon. Josephine George-Francis and representatives from the Ministries of Agriculture, Finance, Commerce, Gender, and the Cooperative Development Agency. Sankolo, who also served as Secretary to the Board, was among the signatories.
An internal explanation provided to The Liberian Investigator indicates that LACRA inherited the dormant UBA account from the defunct LPMC in 2018. That account was never used, as previous management opted to conduct all transactions through SIB Bank. Upon reassessment, Sankolo’s administration decided to reactivate the UBA account with an initial deposit of US$300,000 while awaiting approval from the Ministry of Finance to open a new account with Ecobank.
The timing and content of the Board resolution now place pressure on the Boakai administration to clarify whether the suspensions were based on misinformation or miscommunication within the government’s financial oversight chain. The Ministry of Finance and the President’s office have yet to respond to inquiries about the apparent discrepancy.
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