Bility is right: No allocation for the Assets Recovery Task Force in 2025 Budget

Claim: “No funding in the 2025 budget for the Assets Recovery and Property Retrieval Taskforce.”

Source: Musa Bility, representative of District  Seven, Nimba County

Verdict: Bility is correct about the lack of allocation to the Assets Recovery and Property Retrieval Committee in the 2025 budget

Full Text: On 22nd May, the Assets Recovery and Property Retrieval Committee, through its head, honored an invitation from the House of Representatives to give an update on its operation, achievements, and current challenges.

Bility, while posing a question to the task-force head, claimed there is no allocation in the 2025 budget for the committee. The claim is found in 1:52:17 seconds of the hearing. 

On 13th May, a decision was made regarding the appearance of the task force head. The report was predicated upon a communication from Maryland County Electoral District #1 Representative P. Mike Jury, who requested that the task force be invited to provide an update on its mandate, activities, and results.

In his letter to the Plenary, Rep. Jury noted that since the creation of the task force, there has been little public information regarding its work, raising concerns about its effectiveness and transparency.

Verification: The task force, established by Executive Order No. 126 in March 2024 and renewed by Executive Order No. 145 in March 2025, is mandated to recover improperly acquired government assets. The Ministry of Finance and Development Planning is directed to allocate and disburse the necessary funding to ensure the task force can effectively carry out its mission, indicating its inclusion in the budget planning.

Furthermore, the President extended the task force's mandate for an additional year in 2025 and restructured it from 15 members to a more streamlined 5-member team to improve efficiency and reduce financial burden.

We checked the 2025 national envelope as published by the Ministry of Finance and Development Planning, custodian of the document and execution arm of the government. We found that the 2025 budget does consider the Asset Recovery and Property Retrieval Committee (Asset Recovery Task Force). 

Joseph Daniel is the Task Force head of communication, confirmed the statement by Bility. He also mentioned that the task force received a $ 500,000 allotment from the Ministry of Finance.

Daniel said US$750,000 was allocated in the 2024 budget, and US$520,000 was disbursed.

Conclusion: Yes, Bility is right about the 2025 budget not capturing the Assets and Property Retrieval Committee.