New Milestone Reached against Anti-Graft

As GAC Certificate 65 CFEs

Cllr. Francis Johnson Allison, Head of the Liberia Anti-Corruption Commission (LACC) has termed the certification of 65 Certified Fraud Examiners (CFEs) a milestone reached in the fight against corruption Liberia since the fomulation of the General Auditing Commission (GAC) and the LACC. Delivering the keynote at the program which saw 65 employees of the GAC and the Ministry of Finance certificated in fraud examinations, Cllr. Allison warned of the honorees of the traps that awaits them in their career as waste and abuse auditors. She cautioned the honorees that hatred will arise from individuals who may not favor audits for reasons best known to them by they (CFEs) must remain professional in the execution of their duties. The LACC boss hinted the CFEs have undergone three months capacity-building training in the area of audit from October to December of 2011 that corrupt individals will try to defame their integrity by offering them bribes. She told the beneficiaries of the GAC’s Proffessional and human resource capacity development policy that in the field of audits, integrity matters. Cllr. Allison lauded the GAC for the successful conduct of audits which have aided in the struggle of anti-graft and the CFEs capacity building program which have advance another 65 young Liberians who will boost the fight against corruption in the Liberian society. The LACC boss however expressed dissatisfaction over the exclusion of staffers from the LACC who are also working to minimize the occurance of fraud, waste and abuse in the country. The certificate program organized by the GAC brought together 47 staffers of the GAC and 18 of the MOF and facilitated by the Executive Director Jane Mugo, of the Kenyan Chapter of the Association of Certified Fraud Examiners (ACFE) was geared toward the opening of the Liberian chapter of the ACFE. ACFE was founded by individuals who recognized that the prevention and deterrence of fraud can only be realized through forging strong public and private sector relationship. Also speaking at the program, Mr. Winsley S. Nanka, Acting Auditor General of the GAC told the honorees that their completion of the certificate program makes them automatically eligible to become a member of the ACFE which is umbrella organization of all CFEs. The acting GC advised the CFEs that integrity was better than personnal gains that individuals seek: ‘it is better for you to die poor with your integrity in tack, then to get wealth by doing things that will bring your integrity under question.’ Making remarks to the Honorees, Mr. Charles Egu, comptroller of the USAID, told the beneficiaries that the issurance of cerficates by the ACFE and the GAC was a manifestation of the amount of trust that had been invested in the CFEs. He acknowledged them that undergoing the training and getting certificated was the easy part of the auditing profession but the hardest part will be for each of the individual CFEs to stay in line with the code of ethics of the proffession.