IPNEWS – Monrovia: A coalition of civil society organizations under the banner, Liberia CSOs Anti-Corruption Coalition-LCACC, has planned a “sit-in” protest aimed at demanding the voluntary resignation of Cllr. Austin Ndubuisi Nwabudike. Cllr. Nwabudike is the present head of the Liberia Anti-Corruption Commission-LACC.

In a letter to the US Ambassador, Mr. Michael A. McCarthy, LCACC, which is an umbrella organization established to consolidate and coordinate civil society organizations and anti-corruption activists in the fight against corruption in Liberia, told the US diplomat that they were informing and notifying his country’s government through its Embassy near Monrovia, about their pending February 1, 2021 Anti-Corruption March & Sit-In Action at the Headquarters of the Liberia Anti-Corruption Commission.

According to Mr. James Koryor, Executive Director of the LCACC, their demand for the immediate resignation of Mr. Nwabudike as Executive Chairperson of the LACC is to restore integrity, credibility and dignity to that institution. He added: “Our action is in keeping with Article 17 of the Liberian Constitution.”

“Your Excellency, Mr. Ambassador, the presence of Mr. Ndubuisi Nwabudike at the Liberia Anti-Corruption Commission as head, does not only undermine the fight against corruption in Liberia, but is a gross violation of Part VI Section 6.3 of the Act establishing the LACC. Due to fraud and other misconduct, Mr. Ndubuisi Nwabudike was recently expelled from the Liberian National Bar Association for his woeful failure to defend and prove his citizenship both before the Liberian Senate and the Grievance and Ethics Committee of the Liberian National Bar Association,” the civil society group’s letter to the US Amb., further stated.

The LCACC further charged that “regrettably, under the leadership of Mr. Ndubuisi Nwabudike the LACC has failed, neglected and willfully refused to publish and or release a comprehensive report into the full scale investigation, matters, and issues emanating from the General Auditing Commission’s (GAC) Audit Report dated May 2019, entitled “On Applying the Agreed Upon Procedures of the US$25M Mop-up Exercise conducted by the Central Bank of Liberia (CBL) as mandated by the Technical Economic Management (TEMT).”

“More disappointingly, institution like the LACC established by law to prevent, investigate and prosecute acts of corruption to give our development partners confidence, is the one promoting impunity and shielding corrupt public officials all because of its Executive Chairman, Mr. Ndubuisi Nwabudike.

“In view of the above, the Liberia CSOs Anti-Corruption Coalition writes to affirm and assure the US Embassy and other development partners, that the February 1, 2021 Anti-Corruption March & Sit-In Action will be very peaceful and in conformity with the Liberian Laws. There is no time more crucial than now. Mr. Ndubuisi Nwabudike must vacate the LACC to restore its lost credibility and integrity.”

The LCACC was launched in 2019 with support from USAID through the Legal Professional Development & Anti-Corruption Program (LPAC).

In June 2020, the LACC Chairperson was expelled from the Liberia National Bar Association-LNBA.

During a press engagement, the LNBA informed Liberians about its findings and decision on the critical issue of the Liberian citizenship of Cllr. Nwabudike and his controversial membership of the Liberian National Bar Association. “You will recall that during the Senate confirmation hearings of Cllr. A. Nbudusi Nwabudike for the position of Chairman of the National Elections Commission, the issue of the validity of his Liberian citizenship was brought into question and his woeful failure to convince members of the Senate, dominated the hearing and became the single reason for his outright rejection by the Senate and subsequent withdrawal of his nomination by the President of Liberia.”

“The doubt raised by the Senate over the citizenship of Cllr. Nwabudike by extension, cast a very dark cloud over the integrity and credibility of the Liberian National Bar Association and the Judiciary in evaluating applicants for admission into the legal profession. The LNBA felt duty bound to investigate and find out what the truth is relative to Cllr. Nwabudike’s Liberian citizenship. Therefore, the National Executive Council of the Liberian National Bar met and mandated the President of the Liberian National Bar Association to instruct the Grievance and Ethics Committee to launch a full scale investigation into this matter. As a professional body, the LNBA is under a duty at all times to constantly monitor and evaluate the moral and professional conduct of its members based on information acquired through complaints by individuals or through the public.”

“In order to ensure that the investigation is thorough and meticulous, the LNBA acted within the confines of legal speed by exhausting all means possible to provide Cllr. Nwabudike his right to due process. The LNBA is therefore pleased to give a brief summary of the process on how the LNBA proceeded in order as follows:

1. On Tuesday, March 31, 2020, the President of the LNBA wrote the Grievance Ethics Committee of the LNBA based upon a decision taken by the National Executive Council, mandating it to investigate and submit its report regarding the issue of the citizenship of Cllr. A. N. Nwabudike, given the level of public debate that had arisen over this issue and the cloud it had created over the integrity of the process of admission to the practice of law in Liberia; and

2. On April 2, 2020, the Grievance and Ethics Committee sent a letter to Cllr. A. Ndubuisi Nwabudike, informing him of the mandate of the National Executive Council and inviting him to appear before the committee with all relevant documents in support of his claim of Liberian citizenship. The Committee immediately communicated with the Liberian Immigration Service (LIS), the Clerk of the First Judicial Circuit, Criminal Assisizes (B), the Dean of the Louis Arthur Grimes School of Law and the Clerk of the Supreme Court, in order to independently acquire relevant information pertaining to the citizenship of Cllr. Nwabudike.”