By George K. Momo
The Liberia Revenue Authority (LRA) Commissioner General James Dorbor Jallah has pledged stronger information sharing and interagency cooperation to combat illicit financial flows, suspicious financial transactions, and support efforts to recover assets illegally taken from Liberia and the African continent.
Commissioner General Jallah announced the commitment Tuesday, October 7, 2026 at the opening of the Liberia Anti-Corruption Commission (LACC) and African Union Advisory Board Against Corruption Regional Training on Asset Recovery and Illicit Financial Flows at the Cape Hotel in Monrovia.
The training is being held under the theme: “Implementing SIPA and Curbing Illicit Financial Flows: Following the Money, Funding the Owner.”
CG Jallah highlighted the need for stronger information sharing, intelligence use, and capacity building to detect complex financial transactions.
He said collaboration with the Liberia Anti-Corruption Commission (LACC), Financial Intelligence Agency (FIA), Ministry of Justice and other relevant institutions will be legally authorized and subject to taxpayer confidentiality safeguards.
The LRA Commissioner General emphasized that revenue information and strong interagency collaboration are critical to combat illicit financial activities that deprive African countries of resources needed for development and public services.
Citing UNCTAD’s 2020 Economic Development in Africa Report, Jallah said Africa’s losses are estimated at US$88.6 billion annually through illicit financial flows, underscoring the scale of resources leaving the continent.
The report calls for faster and deeper cross-border cooperation among African countries, noting that illicit money can move rapidly across jurisdictions, while investigators often face delays when seeking information necessary to trace assets.
He described the Common African Position on Asset Recovery as a key continental framework for tracing, freezing, recovering, and returning illicit assets, while calling for stronger collaboration among Liberia’s integrity, security, law enforcement, and revenue institutions, including the LACC, FIA, Ministry of Justice, LNP, LDEA, NSA, National Lottery Authority, and LRA.
CG Jallah linked the fight against illicit financial flows and asset recovery to Liberia and Africa’s broader drive for economic self-reliance, arguing that protecting domestic resources and recovering stolen assets can strengthen the government’s fiscal capacity and reduce dependence on borrowing.
“The country’s long-standing advocacy for African unity and self-reliance remains relevant to the continent’s present efforts to combat illicit financial fraud,” he stated.
The LRA Commissioner General challenged participants to strengthen their skills in investigating complex financial transactions, identifying beneficial owners, handling digital evidence, and recovering illicit assets, while applying their knowledge gained to enhance investigation, institutional cooperation, and asset recovery efforts across Liberia and Africa.