EDITORIAL: The Civil Society Network of Liberia Must Remain A Watchdog For Good Governance, Not Be Used As A Shield For Corruption

THE CIVIL SOCIETY NETWORK of Liberia (CSNL) has come in defense of a growing national controversy at the Liberia Agency for Community Empowerment (LACE) in an attempt to cover up corruption allegations against LACE's Executive Director, Julius K. Sele. 

IN A PRESS statement dated March 13, 2025, the organization dismissed as “dangerous falsehood” the mounting allegations that LACE misappropriated US$675,000 in public funds under the pretense of conducting a project assessment tour across six counties.

WE AT Knews want to be emphantic and say CSNL's defense lacks substantial evidence and raises critical concerns about the role of civil society in Liberia’s governance structure and the broader implications for accountability, public trust, and institutional integrity.

AT THE HEART of this scandal is a lack of financial transparency surrounding LACE’s expenditure. The agency, which was founded with the mandate of facilitating community-driven development projects, has found itself at the center of financial mismanagement allegations.

THIS SITUATION HAS ignited widespread debate about public sector accountability and governance in Liberia.

THE RESPONSE FROM CSNL, rather than addressing the core issue of financial mismanagement, has been to mount a defense of LACE and its leadership. By doing so, the organization has aligned itself with a government agency that has repeatedly come under scrutiny for its handling of public funds.

IN SUCH GRAVE allegations, CSNL has not only risked its credibility but has also raised fundamental questions about the role of civil society in a country where public trust in government institutions is already at stake.

LACE’s CREDIBILITY CRISIS is not an isolated event. The agency has a documented history of questionable financial practices that date back to previous administrations.

INITIALLY ESTABLISHED TO facilitate community-driven development projects across Liberia, LACE has often been accused of functioning as a conduit for misallocated public funds, prioritizing political patronage over effective project delivery.

FOLLOWING THIS LATEST development, LACE is accused of using taxpayer money under the pretense of conducting a “project assessment tour” across six counties, an initiative purportedly aimed at evaluating development projects under the National Legislative Program, yet, the organization’s financial breakdown has done little to suppress public skepticism.

A PARTICULAR GLARING expenditure is the US$133,000 reportedly used for a “visitation tour,” a sum so disproportionately high that it raises questions about the integrity of LACE’s internal financial controls.

THE IDEA THAT such a significant amount of taxpayer money was necessary for a routine assessment underscores the culture of financial excess that has long plagued the agency for years.

BEYOUND THIS, THE US$97,000 allocated for printing bid documents, board sittings, and legal fees further complicates LACE’s defense. The unclear justifications provided raise more questions than answers.

LIBERIA HAS WITNESSED high levels of public sector corruption in recent years, and when nearly a hundred thousand dollars is placed into administrative processes with little or no verifiable documentation, concerns about financial mismanagement are not just warranted but inevitable.

IN ANOTHER SUSPCIOUS financial maneuver, LACE is reported for spending US$37,000 on "refreshments" for community consultations—an allocation that remains largely unjustified. Such figures, in a country where many communities lack basic services, further expose the growing gap between public resource allocation and actual service delivery.

COMPOUNDING THESE FINANCIAL irregularities is the glaring lack of transparency in how these funds were disbursed. No clear records exist to account for the purported expenses, and investigations have unearthed testimony from local community radio stations that claim they were never compensated, despite LACE’s claim that funds were spent on media engagement.

RATHER THAN STANDING as a protective shield against financial malpractice, the Civil Society Network of Liberia has instead chosen to side with LACE, condemning the corruption allegations as “dangerous falsehoods.” 

THE CIVIL SOCIETY Network of Liberia, an organization once seen as a watchdog organ holding government institutions accountable, has now positioned itself as a defender of questionable practices that threaten the very development it claims to advocate for.

BY REFUSING TO demand an independent audit and instead issuing a sweeping rebuttal that fails to address the glaring inconsistencies in LACE’s financial breakdown, CSNL has aligned itself with an agency whose past and present is entangled with financial controversies.

THE WILLINGNESS TO provide cover for an entity under scrutiny raises concerns about whose interests CSNL ultimately serves.

CIVIL SOCIETY ORGANIZATIONS play a vital role in holding public institutions accountable. Their legitimacy is rooted in their ability to operate independently and ensure that the interests of the Liberian people are upheld above all else. 

YET IN THIS case, CSNL has not only distanced itself from its core responsibility but has actively engaged in shielding those who should be answering for their actions.

AT THE CENTER of the prevailing controversy is the intersection of political influence and public sector mismanagement. The misappropriation of US$675,000 in public funds is not just a financial scandal; it is a political issue with far-reaching consequences. 

THE ENTANGLEMENT OF LACE with members of the National Legislature, who oversee the National Legislative Program under which these funds were allocated, raises serious questions about the extent to which public office has been repurposed for personal financial gain.

LACE HAS FOR years functioned as a tool of political appeasement, with legislative projects often used to consolidate support, reward loyalists, and exert control over community development resources. 

THE LATEST ALLEGATIONS against the agency only add to the growing discontent over how public institutions continue to be manipulated for political convenience rather than being used for their intended purpose of serving the people.

LACE's MANAGEMENT SCANDAL is part of a broader pattern in Liberia’s governance, where agencies tasked with improving the lives of ordinary citizens become channels for corruption, robbing communities of essential development projects in favor of politically connected individuals.

THE RESPONSE FROM CSNL, however, represents an even more dangerous precedent: the perversion of civil society into a protective shield for corrupt officials rather than a force for accountability.

THE WILLINGNESS TO dismiss legitimate concerns without calling for an independent forensic investigation speaks to a broader institutional decay that is systematically eroding public confidence in governance and advocacy.

THE SILENCE OR outright defense of financial malpractice by civil society groups has consequences that extend far beyond the US$675,000 in question. When institutions meant to advocate for the public interest become mere extensions of the government, the entire democratic framework is at risk.

THE REAL VICTIMS in this case are the Liberian people—those in underdeveloped communities who continue to lack access to basic infrastructure, healthcare, and education while millions of dollars meant for development are channeled into bureaucratic black holes.

THE DEMAND FOR transparency is not a political attack—it is an expectation that public officials will be held accountable for their actions.