Liberia: FIA Launches Fight Against Illicit Financial Flows in Real Estate

The Financial Intelligence Agency (FIA), in collaboration with the Liberia Land Authority (LLA), has launched a nationwide awareness campaign aimed at strengthening transparency, accountability, and compliance within Liberia's real estate sector.

The initiative, officially launched on June 3, 2026 at the FIA headquarters in Monrovia, forms part of the government's broader efforts to combat money laundering, terrorist financing, fraud, and other illicit financial activities that have long posed risks to the country's rapidly growing real estate industry.

Speaking at the launch, the Officer-in-Charge of the FIA, Mohammed Nasser, said the campaign follows the completion of a comprehensive risk assessment of the real estate sector, which identified key vulnerabilities that could expose the industry to financial crimes.

"The purpose of this awareness campaign is to educate stakeholders on the risks identified and the measures required to mitigate them," Nasser said. "The real estate sector remains one of the areas vulnerable to money laundering, and strengthening compliance mechanisms is essential to safeguarding the integrity of the sector."

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He emphasized that the campaign will focus on improving understanding of Anti-Money Laundering and Countering the Financing of Terrorism (AML/CFT) regulations across the country through public education, stakeholder engagement, and training workshops in various counties.

Nasser raised concerns about emerging methods used by criminals to launder illicit funds through property transactions. He stressed the importance of strict documentation, customer verification, and timely reporting of suspicious activities.

He further noted that the nationwide awareness campaign will continue across several counties, with the aim of ensuring that stakeholders and communities understand their responsibilities under the new compliance framework.

Launching the initiative, Liberia Land Authority Chairman Samuel F. Kpakio described the program as a major milestone in ongoing reforms to regulate Liberia's real estate and land administration systems.

"This is not simply about introducing regulations," Kpakio said. "It is about establishing a new national framework built on transparency, accountability, professionalism, compliance, and sustainable economic governance."

He noted that for many years, Liberia's real estate sector has operated with limited oversight, creating room for fraudulent transactions, land disputes, revenue leakages, and other illicit financial practices.

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According to him, the partnership between the Liberia Land Authority and the Financial Intelligence Agency is designed to address these challenges while improving investor confidence and strengthening governance in the sector.

Kpakio explained that the framework is grounded in the Liberia Land Authority Act of 2016 and other legal instruments that mandate the regulation of land administration, governance, and property transactions nationwide.

He further outlined key compliance requirements under the AML/CFT framework, including Know Your Customer (KYC) procedures, customer due diligence, suspicious transaction reporting, risk assessment mechanisms, record-keeping obligations, and enhanced monitoring of high-risk transactions.

"These measures are not intended to discourage business or investment," he said. "Rather, they are designed to protect legitimate investment, strengthen public confidence, improve transparency, and position Liberia as a credible investment destination."

The LLA Chairman urged real estate agents, brokers, developers, financial institutions, legal practitioners, construction companies, and other stakeholders to fully cooperate with the reform process to ensure its success.