Court Backs FIA: Financial Intelligence Agency Can Impose Fines, Upholds L$15M Penalty Against Orange Money
BY: T.Mark Vahmie
MONROVIA – Liberia’s Sixth Judicial Circuit, Civil Law Court at the Temple of Justice has affirmed the Financial Intelligence Agency of Liberia’s authority to enforce Anti-Money Laundering and Counter-Terrorism Financing sanctions, ruling in favor of the agency in its dispute with Orange Money Liberia.
In a decision delivered this week, the court upheld the FIA’s statutory mandate to impose monetary and administrative fines on financial institutions that violate AML/CFT laws.
The ruling stems from the FIA’s 2024 sanction of L$15 million against Orange Money Liberia.
According to the agency, the fine was levied after a risk-based compliance inspection conducted from September 2–13, 2024 found the mobile money operator failed to meet requirements under Liberia’s Anti-Money Laundering and Counter-Terrorism Financing Act of 2021.
“The court upheld the FIA’s legal mandate to enforce sanctions intended to strengthen compliance with anti-money laundering and counter-terrorism financing regulations across Liberia’s financial sector,” the agency stated.
The judgment reinforces the FIA’s role as Liberia’s financial intelligence unit and signals stricter enforcement of AML/CFT rules for banks, mobile money operators, and other financial service providers.
Compliance experts say the ruling is likely to prompt tighter due diligence, customer verification, and transaction monitoring across the sector.