Published: October 27, 2025
MONROVIA — Staff at the Office for the Establishment of the War and Economic Crimes Court and Anti‑Corruption Court (OWECC-L) are threatening a go-slow action after reportedly working without pay for five months, a failure that could shake international confidence in Liberia’s long-promised war-crimes and anti-corruption courts.
The stalemate comes despite Joseph Nyuma Boakai’s Executive Order No. 148, which committed US$2 million to establish both the war-and-economic-crimes tribunal and a national anti-corruption court. The funds were structured for disbursement in quarterly US$500,000 tranches, but according to internal sources at OWECC-L, the first payment has yet to be released by the Ministry of Finance & Development Planning. Worse still, staff say that Augustine Ngafuan has not engaged the office’s leadership on the overdue funding.
“We have not received a cent, and operations are now at risk,” one frustrated employee told The Liberian Investigator. “How can we fight impunity when we can’t even pay for fuel to run our generators?”
Beyond internal unease, the crisis raises broader questions about President Boakai’s government ability to follow through on its commitment to accountability. The government passed a resolution in April 2024 approving the war crimes court, following decades of advocacy by victims and civil society groups. But persistent delays in funding and leadership appointment have convinced observers the initiative is “losing steam.”
OWECC-L staff say the shortfall has brought operations to a near-standstill. “We’ve revised our budget multiple times to meet the Ministry’s requests,” another source said, “but the funds are still being withheld.” They warn that unless wages are paid and activities resumed immediately, the entire accountability architecture may collapse before it even begins.
Asked about the delays, Executive Director Jallah A. Barbu said he was on institutional duties outside Monrovia and did not comment further.
Liberia’s push for a war-and-economic-crimes court is one of the most significant accountability efforts in West Africa, targeting atrocities from the civil wars that ran from 1989 to 2003, which killed an estimated 250,000 people. Donor and justice-sector actors say that without operational funding and demonstrable progress, the initiative may be seen as a symbolic gesture rather than a real justice mechanism.
In May 2025, President Boakai extended the mandate of OWECC-L and doubled down on a US $2 million annual budget for the office, seemingly a strong sign of intent. Yet, staff say the budget remains unspent five months later.
Liberia, still recovering from two brutal civil wars, has anchored its transitional-justice agenda on this court and the anti-corruption tribunal. Failure to deliver would undercut not only national trust but international support.
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