Monrovia, Liberia — January 13, 2026
Liberia’s campaign to reclaim stolen public assets entered a decisive new phase this week as Cllr. Edwin Kla Martin, Chairman of the Asset Recovery and Property Retrieval Taskforce (AREPT), outlined the government’s most ambitious asset recovery efforts to date, pointing to landmark indictments, expanding international cooperation, and a renewed commitment to accountability under the rule of law.
Speaking at the Ministry of Information’s Tuesday press briefing, Cllr. Martin presented a detailed account of AREPT’s work in 2025, a year he described as “challenging but consequential” for Liberia’s anti-corruption agenda. Despite legal setbacks and institutional resistance, he said, the Taskforce recorded significant gains in exposing suspicious wealth accumulation and prosecuting economic crimes that have long undermined public trust.
AREPT, established by Executive Order No. 145, operates as an independent body mandated to trace, investigate, prosecute, and recover public assets stolen or unlawfully acquired. According to Cllr. Martin, the Taskforce has remained steadfast in executing this mandate strictly within the confines of due process and judicial independence.
One of the Taskforce’s most notable achievements in 2025 was the strengthening of international partnerships aimed at pursuing assets beyond Liberia’s borders. Cllr. Martin disclosed that AREPT has established working relationships with several United Kingdom–based firms, including Grant Thornton, Omnia Strategy LLP, FTI Consulting, and Blake Morgan, which are supporting asset recovery litigation in consultation with the Taskforce on behalf of the Republic of Liberia.
These international engagements, he noted, are essential in an era when illicit financial flows and stolen assets often move across jurisdictions, requiring technical expertise and legal cooperation beyond national boundaries.
Domestically, AREPT also secured a major legal victory when the Supreme Court of Liberia lifted a nine-month stay order that had halted its operations following a petition filed by Gracious Ride in 2024. The ruling allowed the Taskforce to resume investigations that had been frozen at a critical stage.
With the legal obstacle removed, AREPT completed investigations and unsealed three major indictments in 2025, while continuing work on forty additional cases involving alleged theft of public property and large-scale corruption.
Among the most prominent cases is the Saudi Rice Case, which centers on the alleged mismanagement of US$500,000 worth of rice donated by the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia for disaster victims. Fifteen former and current government officials were indicted, and the case is now before the courts.
Another sweeping case involves the Anita Group of Companies and Gracious Ride, where more than forty individuals have been indicted for alleged money laundering, theft of public property, and criminal conspiracy. Prosecutors allege that between 2020 and 2023, the entities were used to conceal more than US$6.7 million and L$845 million in public funds. Key figures named in the indictment include Nora Finda Bundoo, a former Chief of Protocol, and Pamela Anita Jallah, Chief Executive Officer of the Anita Group of Companies.
The third case focuses on a US$1.95 million renovation contract awarded by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to MDMC, where investigators allege that US$851,136.13 was misappropriated despite full payment being made for work that was never completed. Those indicted include former Deputy Foreign Affairs Minister Thelma Duncan Sawyer and MDMC’s Chief Executive Officer, John S. Youboty.
While all indictments have been served, Cllr. Martin acknowledged that the cases remain entangled in ongoing legal proceedings. He explained that a stay order issued in November 2025 by Supreme Court Justice in Chambers Jamesetta Howard Wolokolie, following a petition filed by Madam Sawyer, temporarily stalled progress. However, he confirmed that an assignment has since been issued for the hearing of the MDMC/MOFA case.
AREPT, he said, respects the independence of the Judiciary but hopes corruption-related cases will be treated with urgency, given their implications for national development and public confidence.
Addressing concerns about indicted individuals who have not yet been apprehended, Cllr. Martin confirmed that while most defendants have been served with writs of arrest, Pamela Anita Jallah and Nora Finda Bundoo remain at large. He assured the public that lawful mechanisms are in place to secure their arrest and eventual prosecution.
The Chairman also used the briefing to reinforce AREPT’s stance on institutional integrity, referencing a recent incident in which MDMC, despite being under indictment, submitted a Christmas parcel to the Taskforce. The parcel was immediately returned, and AREPT publicly condemned the act as a violation of ethical standards. MDMC has since been issued a 72-hour ultimatum to explain its actions, with the Taskforce warning that any similar conduct would result in arrest and criminal investigation.
Looking ahead, AREPT outlined its priorities for 2026, which include deepening investigations into ongoing cases, advancing prosecutions already before the courts, unsealing additional indictments, and expanding nationwide anti-corruption awareness initiatives.
Cllr. Martin concluded with a message to the Liberian people, thanking them for their patience, cooperation, and intelligence sharing. He reaffirmed that AREPT’s work remains impartial, evidence-based, and driven by a singular objective: ensuring that public resources are recovered and used for the benefit of all Liberians.
As Liberia intensifies its efforts to confront corruption, the Taskforce’s leadership signaled that the fight is far from over—but that the foundations for accountability are now firmly in place.
