Jolue Aloysius Tarlue Jr., also known as J. Aloysius Tarlue Jr., is a Liberian banker who served as Executive Governor and Chairman of the Board of Governors of the Central Bank of Liberia from 2019 to 2024. He was suspended from the post in 2024 by President Joseph Boakai amid a government anti-corruption campaign, challenged the suspension in court, and later withdrew his lawsuit after reportedly reaching a financial settlement with the government.

Early life and education Tarlue was born in Liberia and completed secondary school at the American Cooperative School in Monrovia in 1983. He went on to spend much of his academic and professional life in the United States, earning a Bachelor of Arts in history and political science from King University in Bristol, Tennessee, and a Master of Public Administration in public policy analysis from Kean University in New Jersey.

Career Before returning to Liberia, Tarlue worked for about seventeen years in compliance and anti-money-laundering roles at several United States and European financial institutions, including HSBC Bank NA, Merrill Lynch, Deutsche Bank NA, BNY Mellon NA, and J.P. Morgan Chase. A 2019 report on his appointment noted that, according to his LinkedIn profile, he had not held senior management positions at these institutions.

Tarlue returned to Liberia in September 2018 and was appointed by President Weah to a four-year term as Chairman of the Board of Commissioners of the Liberia Electricity Regulatory Commission (LERC), a body responsible for regulating Liberia's electricity sector.

Central Bank of Liberia

Appointment and confirmation On 8 November 2019, President Weah nominated Tarlue to succeed Nathaniel Patray as Executive Governor of the Central Bank of Liberia, following what the president's office described as Patray's age-related mandatory retirement. The appointment drew mixed reactions, with some Liberians questioning Tarlue's qualifications to lead the bank.

During his Senate confirmation hearing, Tarlue was questioned about discrepancies in his personal records: his national identification card listed his date of birth as 12 May 1962, while his résumé and a police clearance he had obtained listed 1952. Tarlue told the Senate committee the discrepancy was an error that would be corrected. He was also asked why his résumé did not list his position as sitting chairman of the LERC. He was confirmed by the Senate and inducted into office.

Tenure At his induction, Tarlue said he intended to lead the bank with professionalism, accountability, transparency, and independence, and to work to restore public confidence in Liberia's banking system. During his tenure, the bank stated that it worked to stabilize inflation and the exchange rate of the Liberian dollar and introduced newly designed banknotes. From 2021, Tarlue also served as Chairman of the Committee of Governors of ECOWAS Central Banks under the West African Monetary Agency.

Suspension and departure In 2024, following the inauguration of President Joseph Boakai, Tarlue was suspended as Executive Governor as part of a government campaign described by officials as a crackdown on corruption by appointees of the previous administration. Tarlue challenged the suspension before Liberia's courts, seeking a writ of prohibition on the grounds that the president lacked the authority to suspend him under the law establishing the Central Bank. He subsequently withdrew the lawsuit; sources close to Tarlue told FrontPageAfrica that he had accepted a settlement reportedly worth US$375,000, along with unspecified additional benefits, in exchange for discontinuing the case. The Central Bank of Liberia's own records list his tenure as having run from November 2019 to 30 July 2024.

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