Monrovia – In delivering his State of the Nation Address (SONA) to the Legislature on Monday, January 24, President George Weah mentioned that the House of Representatives has passed the amended Liberia Anti-Corruption Commission Act, which among other things, seeks to give the anti-graft institution direct power to prosecute corruption officials.
Fact Check By: Varney Kelvin Sirleaf | LVL Fact Checker
Said President Weah: “You will be aware that the House has already passed the new LACC Act giving a broader mandate to the LACC to fight corruption. It is my hope that, in the supreme interest of the Liberian People, the Senate will soon concur”.
FrontPageAfrica reported in May 2017 that President Weah had submitted a proposed act entitled “An Act Restating An Act to Establish the Liberia Anti-Corruption Commission.”
The news article quoted the President as saying: “It is in line with the government’s anti-corruption policy and contains comprehensive strategy that outlines the preventative, educational and enforcement measures to be taken to combat corruption in Liberia”.
Local Voices Liberia Fact Checking Desk checked to find out if the President got his facts right.
When contacted via cellular phone, the Director of Press of the House of Representatives, Mr. Robert Haynes confirmed that the Bill was passed by the House on Thursday, November 11, 2021. Haynes added that the “House has passed the bill and [has also] sent it to the Senate for concurrence but the Senate is yet to concur”.
Further check found that a news article published in December 2021 by the Global News Network Liberia quoted the Director of Press of the House of Representative Mr. Haynes also saying that during the Special sitting of the House “the amendment of the LACC act to give the anti-graft institution prosecutorial power” was amongst several other bills passed by the House.
Conclusion
The Director of Press at the house of Representative and several other news articles written and published by independent media organizations confirms that the claim or statement made by the President that the House has passed the Bill granting LACC prosecution power is correct.
The House of Representative has passed the new LACC Act, but the senate is yet to concur with the lower house – this means the amended law is not yet in force.
| Claim | Verdict |
|
The House has already passed the new LACC Act giving a broader mandate to the LACC to fight corruption. It is my hope that, in the supreme interest of the Liberian People, the Senate will soon concur |
Correct |
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