By K. Ericson Sayee
MONROVIA, April 12 (LINA) – Montserrado County Senator Abraham Darius Dillon has called for an amendment of the “statute of limitation law” by expanding it from five to 15 years, with an added ingredient which aims at strengthening the fight against corruption.
“I have proposed before the Senate to extend the statute of limitation from five years to 15 years, with an added ingredient that is not in the law,” Dillon disclosed Wednesday, April 9, 2025, in Monrovia on a local radio talk show.
He says the proposed 15 years will open prosecution of an accused persons from the day the commission of the act was discovered and not from the day it was committed, adding that unlike the previous one which says if a person steals and is not prosecuted within the five years of commission, he or she is vindicated from prosecution, even if there is a discovery of barrage of evidence after the period of five years.
The Senator argues that the current statute of limitation will not assist in the fight against corruption, and he added that to lessen the vices in public offices, government must revive the statute of limitation, stating that if the law is amended, while it may not eradicate corruption completely, it will serve as a deterrence in the commission of the act.
“If I was a 25-year-old and I stole and I turned 60 years before discovery, my prosecution begins from my 60- year-old”, he says.
Giving his scenario on the current statute of limitation law, he said: “If Senator Dillon is in office and maybe found his way with US$2 million, while in power he suppressed the information and five years pass, once there is no discovery, if you brought evidence from “God”, you cannot do anything”.
He however craves support from his colleagues in the smooth amendment of the law so that people who siphon public coffers will not escape with public funds, stressing that when the law is revived and extended from 5-15 years, even if a government fails to prosecute, another government can commence a prosecution if it discovers evidence.
“We cannot be talking about fighting corruption and not doing anything about it. And the way our society is, once you are not punishing people, everybody is branded as corrupt,” he narrated.
The Senator explained that once the law is amended, public officials will be careful with public resources because even if an official who embezzled public resources and is shielded by his or her government, he or she will get prosecuted by a new government that comes to power upon the discovery of the act.