Liberia Jury Convicts 2 Former Ministers in Rice Case

A Monrovia jury has found two former Liberian cabinet ministers guilty in a case involving missing Saudi-provided rice, one of the nation's most prominent corruption trials. The verdict was handed down on Friday, 9th October. The defendants are former Foreign Minister Dee-Maxwell Saah Kemayah and former Internal Affairs Minister Varney A. Sirleaf.

The case centers around 29,412 bags of rice, valued at approximately US$500,000, which was donated by Saudi Arabia for disaster relief. The court convicted Kemayah on all five charges, including theft of property, economic sabotage, misapplication of entrusted property, abuse of office, and criminal conspiracy. Sirleaf was found guilty on all charges as well.

Additionally, former National Disaster Management Agency (NDMA) official Augustine Kollie and former General Services Agency (GSA) official Edris Idris Bility were convicted on some or all of the charges. On the other hand, Henry O. Williams, the former NDMA executive director, and Memmie Davie Larmie, a former GSA official, were acquitted on all counts.

The remaining defendants had split votes, leaving their charges unresolved. The rice in question was a 2023 gift from Saudi Arabia intended for Liberians affected by disasters. However, according to prosecutors, 25,054 of the bags, worth around US$425,918, were allegedly diverted or distributed unlawfully.