# Liberia's Ex-President Calls for Anti-Corruption Law Enforcement

> Former Liberia President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf demands concrete action to enforce anti-corruption laws after years of failed reforms.
- Title: Liberia's Ex-President Calls for Anti-Corruption Law…
- Summary: Former Liberia President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf demands concrete action to enforce anti-corruption laws after years of failed reforms.
- Keywords: ellen johnson sirleaf, liberia, anti-corruption laws, governance commission, freedom of information act, corruption, lgb, news, world, politics, Liberia's, Ex-President
- Source: Allafrica — https://allafrica.com/stories/202610070559.html
- Published: 2026-10-07T15:30:53+00:00
- Read time: 1 min
- Topics: ellen johnson sirleaf, liberia, anti-corruption laws, governance commission, freedom of information act, corruption, lgb, news, world, politics
## Ex-President Sirleaf Challenges Liberia
Former President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf urges Liberia to give anti-corruption laws 'teeth' by ensuring violations lead to investigations, prosecution and meaningful consequences.

> Liberia: Ex - President Sirleaf Challenges Liberia to Give Anti-Corruption Laws Teeth
## Liberia Begins Month of Good Governance
President Joseph Nyuma Boakai proclaimed October as the Month of Good Governance to strengthen transparency, integrity, accountability and citizen participation in governance.
## Sirleaf's Corruption Legacy
When Sirleaf took the Presidential Oath in January 2006, corruption was 'the public enemy number one' in Liberia.

> When I took the Presidential Oath of Office in January 2006, Liberia was a nation where corruption was largely the operating system
## Key Reforms Under Sirleaf
Her administration established the Governance Commission, Liberia Anti-Corruption Commission, Public Procurement and Concessions Commission and the Freedom of Information Act.
## Reforms Failed to Eliminate Corruption
Sirleaf acknowledged that reforms did not fully achieve their intended purpose, stating Liberia faces the same corruption challenges today as in 2006.

> I wish that I could tell you that with all this effort, we won the corruption fight. We did not. And we are facing the same thing today
## Institutions Need Enforcement
Sirleaf stressed that institutions alone cannot ensure accountability without political commitment, adequate resources and independence.

> Orders were published and then forgotten. Too few cases reached a courtroom, and few ended in conviction
## Accountability Begins at the Top
Sirleaf insisted that political leadership must demonstrate integrity for citizens to trust public institutions.

> Accountability begins at the top. The very top. Or it does not begin at all
## Call for Institutional Support
She urged the executive branch to demonstrate integrity, while ensuring integrity institutions receive full budgetary support and independence.
## Citizens and Journalists Must Act
Sirleaf urged citizens to use the Freedom of Information Act and journalists to investigate public institutions and officials.

> Ask for the records, she urged. Keep asking the hard questions.
## Key takeaway

Former Liberia President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf urges the country to implement anti-corruption laws effectively by ensuring prosecutions and consequences, acknowledging her administration's shortcomings.