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Claim: A Facebook user has alleged that only two commissioners at the Liberia Telecommunication Authority (LTA) declared their assets.
Verdict: False! A DUBAWA investigation has revealed that more than two commissioners of the LTA have declared their assets. According to the Liberia Anti-Corruption Commission’s (LACC) non-compliance list, only 1 of the 5 commissioners of the LTA has not declared his assets.
Full Text
On Feb 12, 2025, President Joseph Nyuma Boakai, Sr., immediately suspended 457 government officials who failed to declare their assets within the required timeframe for one month without pay or until they submitted the required declarations.
According to an Executive Mansion release, the action is under Article 2, Section 10.2 (h) of the Act to Amend Section 5.2 and Section 10.2 of the 2014 Code of Conduct. It follows the President’s directive issued on November 27, 2024, granting a ten-day grace period for compliance.
The president’s decision has since sparked debates and claims across Facebook and other social media platforms in Liberia.
One of such claims was made by a Facebook user, James Samuel Goodday Flomo, who posted on his page that:
“Only two commissioners at the LTA were able to declare their assets, so the rest are currently suspended! A. Ben Fofana and Clarence K. Massaquoi. I will share the entire list.”
As of Feb 13, 2025, the post had garnered 234 reactions, 169 comments, and 5 shares. The comments reflected mixed reactions, with some users expressing doubt and others accepting the claim.
For instance, Joe P. Sumo, a Liberian Facebook user, commented:
“But [on] the first list that you shared, Patrick Honnah was the only one who declared his assets. How come he’s in the noncompliance category again?”
For his part, Patrick Honnah, a commissioner of the Liberia Telecommunication Authority, commented:
“Go look good, Chief. I did even before my two colleagues. LACC has even come to verify my assets.”
In contrast, Robert Gibson said, “Thanks for providing the information to us.”
Based on the nature of the claim, DUBAWA decided to investigate as part of its commitment to combating misinformation and disinformation.
Verification
To begin the investigation, DUBAWA examined the LTA’s official website to determine the number of commissioners the entity will appoint.
DUBAWA discovered that the Telecommunications Act 2007 established the LTA as a commission consisting of five (5) commissioners appointed by the President of Liberia to oversee the LTA’s operations and exercise its functions and powers. As defined in the Act, the president designated one of the five appointed commissioners to be chairman and thus heads the LTA.
Second, the DUBAWA researcher contacted the claimant to establish the source of his claim.
In his response, James Samuel Goodday Flomo said:
“Check my page again because it was clarified. LACC Data has it.”
He also shared a link the LACC shared on September 5, 2024, containing the list of employees who had declared their assets.
DUBAWA discovered that only one commissioner was on the outdated list shared in 2024 by the LACC, contrary to the two commissioners’ claims and the original content of the post had not been changed.
Screenshot of James’ response
DUBAWA then reviewed the list of non-compliant employees who have not declared their assets as shared by the LACC on February 11, 2025.
After a review of the list, DUBAWA discovered that only 1 of the 5 commissioners, Osborne K. Diggs, has not declared his assets. This means that the other four commissioners, contrary to the claim, had already declared their assets.
Conclusion
Facebook’s claim that only two LTA commissioners declared their assets is false. DUBAWA’s investigation established that four commissioners complied with asset declaration requirements, leaving only one non-compliant commissioner.
