Liberian President Joseph Boakai on Wednesday issued a decree to identify and recover stolen state assets and prosecute current and former officials involved in their theft, according to the president's website.
The decree established a task force to work on asset recovery that will have the legal authority and public funding to investigate and recover illegally acquired state assets and seek the extradition of suspects involved.
In the document, the president described the theft of the assets by officials as an "alarming menace that has engulfed Liberia" and emphasized the need to return them to the people of the West African nation.
"Given the gravity of this situation and the need to immediately restore lost assets in order to ensure economic viability and development, it is imperative to issue this Executive Order that cannot await the lengthy legislative process that may derail the process of assets restoration," the decree read.
Additionally, travel restrictions will be imposed on suspects and efforts will be made to extradite individuals residing outside Liberia's jurisdiction, the president noted.
In February, the leader asked Liberia's General Auditing Commission to audit the central bank, the national security agency, and the executive protection service.
The investigation, which will cover the period from 2018 to 2023, is expected to report its findings within three months.