MONROVIA — A jury at Criminal Court "C" in Monrovia has reportedly convicted eight former senior officials of the George Weah administration in connection with the alleged diversion of rice donated by the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia for disaster victims and vulnerable communities in Liberia.
Among those convicted are former Foreign Affairs Minister Dee-Maxwell Saah Kemayah and former Internal Affairs Minister Varney A. Sirleaf, who were found guilty on all five charges brought against them.
The case involves 29,412 bags of rice donated by Saudi Arabia in April 2023, which prosecutors alleged were unlawfully handled and diverted from their intended beneficiaries.
Following weeks of testimony, documentary evidence and rebuttal proceedings, the trial jury returned guilty verdicts against eight of the 13 defendants. Three were acquitted, while verdicts involving two others were reported as inconclusive.
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According to the reported verdicts, Kemayah and Sirleaf were convicted of theft of property, economic sabotage, misuse of public office, criminal conspiracy and misapplication of entrusted property.
Former Deputy Internal Affairs Minister for Administration Momolu Johnson and former Deputy Director of the General Services Agency (GSA) Edriss Bility were also found guilty on all five counts.
Meanwhile, former National Disaster Management Agency (NDMA) Director for Disaster Victims Augustine Kollie and former NDMA Communications Director Archievego Menneah-Doe were each convicted on three of the five charges.
Former NDMA Executive Director Henry O. Williams was found guilty on one count of economic sabotage.
The supplied account identifies seven of the eight convicted defendants but does not name the eighth.
The verdicts mark a significant development in the prosecution of former government officials accused of mishandling humanitarian assistance intended for vulnerable Liberians.
Speaking to journalists outside the Temple of Justice following the verdicts, Chairman of the Asset Recovery and Property Retrieval Taskforce (AREPT), Cllr. Edwin Kla Martin, welcomed the jury's decision and pledged to defend the convictions if challenged before the Supreme Court.
"When they go to the Supreme Court, we will equally go there and defeat them there. These verdicts are significant achievement in the fight for accountability," Martin declared.
He described the outcome as an important step in efforts to hold public officials accountable for the alleged misuse of government resources and donated humanitarian supplies.
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The convictions remain subject to applicable post-trial proceedings and any appeals pursued by the defendants.
Details of sentencing and the defense lawyers' responses to the verdicts were not provided.
