Liberian president appoints son, Charles Sirleaf, as head of central bank

Charles Sirleaf (left) and President Ellen Sirleaf (right)

Charles Sirleaf, son of Liberian president, Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, has been appointed as the interim executive governor of the Central Bank of Liberia (CBL). Until his appointment, Charles was the deputy governor of the bank, having worked for the bank since 2004. He will occupy the post for an undefined interim period, the bank’s board of governors said. According to Reuters, the previous head, Joseph Mills Jones, left to prepare his candidature for a presidential election in the West African country due to take place in 2017. The Nobel award-winning president suspended her son for a while in 2012, following his failure to properly declare his asset. Sirleaf, who has strong ties with Washington and is credited with helping the country recover from a bloody civil war that ended in 2003, must step down next year due to a two-term limit. She is due to decide on a permanent successor to Jones, to steer Liberia’s economic recovery after two years in which the country endured an Ebola epidemic.
Critics accuse Johnson Sirleaf of appointing family members and other allies to key posts throughout her presidency in order to consolidate her position. One of her sons, Robert, was both chairman of the National Oil Company of Liberia and senior adviser to the president until he resigned in 2013. Fumba Sirleaf, her stepson, is also the head of the National Security Agency (NSA). Emmanuel Gonquoi, former chairman for the coalition of civil society in Liberia, described the central bank appointment as unfair. “It is not about qualifications, but about expediency,” he said. However, central bank officials stressed that Charles Sirleaf was a suitable choice, adding that he “is competent and qualified for the position”. Charles Sirleaf is said to be a highly experienced banker, who served as president of the National Housing and Savings Bank in 1993 and in 2004 joined the Central Bank of Liberia before his mother became President of Liberia.