Ombudsman Orders Government Appointees to Resign from Political Party Positions.
By: Melvin Flomo
The Office of the Ombudsman has issued a firm directive reminding all presidential appointees of their obligation under the Code of Conduct. Section 5.k(a) and (b) of the Code prohibits officials appointed by the President of Liberia from engaging in political activities, contesting elected offices, or using government resources for partisan purposes.
Following the commissioning of three Ombudspersons in August 2024, the institution commenced monitoring, evaluating, enforcing, and investigating violations of the Code of Conduct. The move comes as part of President Joseph Boakai’s efforts to ensure that government officials adhere to the law and separate themselves from partisan activities.
The Ombudsman revealed that 26 appointed officials of the Government of Liberia (GOL) were recently written and instructed to either resign from their political party positions or from their government roles, as required by Section 5.1(a) of the Code. This section makes it clear that holding a political party office while serving as a government appointee is in direct violation of the law.
In response to the directive, four government officials – Hon. Dixon Tamba, Deputy Commissioner General at the Liberia Immigration Service; Hon. Kundukai Jalibah, also Deputy Commissioner General at the Liberia Immigration Service; Hon. Leon Talery, Assistant Minister at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs; and Hon. Richard Huff, Deputy Director at the Liberia Refugee Repatriation and Resettlement Commission (LRRRC) – resigned from their political party positions and submitted evidence of compliance.
However, despite these resignations, the Ombudsman reported that the majority of the 26 officials have refused to comply with the directive. The institution expressed disappointment in their defiance and urged them to reconsider their stance, as non-compliance would trigger serious consequences under the law.
The Ombudsman has now given all remaining officials, as well as those appointed by previous presidents, a five-day ultimatum to comply. They must resign from either their political party positions or their government posts, in accordance with the law.
Meanwhile, officials are directed to submit evidence of their compliance to the Ombudsman’s office via email at [email protected] or deliver physical proof to the Governance Commission on 16th Street in Monrovia.
Failure to adhere to the directive will lead to swift action under Section 5.9 of the Code of Conduct, which mandates that any official found guilty of violating the Code be immediately removed from office after due process.
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