{"id":6189,"date":"2025-08-15T11:34:04","date_gmt":"2025-08-15T11:34:04","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/arept.gov.lr\/?p=6189"},"modified":"2025-08-15T11:34:06","modified_gmt":"2025-08-15T11:34:06","slug":"for-immediate-release","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/arept.gov.lr\/?p=6189","title":{"rendered":"FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

<\/a>AREPT Indictment Explained: Former and Current Government Officials Indicted Over Alleged Theft of Saudi Arabia\u2019s Donated Rice<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Monrovia, Liberia \u2013 June 26, 2025<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Government of Liberia, through the Asset Recovery and Property Retrieval Taskforce (AREPT) in collaboration with the Ministry of Justice, has secured a major indictment against several former and current government officials and employees. This action follows a detailed investigation into the illegal handling and diversion of 29,412 bags of rice donated by the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia in April 2023. The rice was intended to support disaster victims and vulnerable communities across Liberia.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Indicted Individuals Include:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Dee-Maxwell Saah Kemayah \u2013 Former Minister of Foreign Affairs<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Mary Broh \u2013 Former Director General, General Services Agency (GSA)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Varney A. Sirleaf \u2013 Former Minister of Internal Affairs<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Thelma Sawyer \u2013 Former Deputy Minister for Foreign Affairs\/Administration<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Henry O. Williams \u2013 Former Executive Director, National Disaster Management Agency (NDMA)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Augustine Tamba \u2013 Deputy Director for Operations, NDMA<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Augustine M. Kollie \u2013 Director for Disaster Victims, NDMA<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Edward S. Konneh \u2013 Employee, NDMA<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Archievego M. Doe \u2013 Communications Director, NDMA<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Edris Bility \u2013 Former Deputy Director for Operations, GSA<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Mamie Davies \u2013 Assistant Director, GSA<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Momolu Johnson \u2013 Deputy Minister of Internal Affairs\/Administration<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Rosetta L. Gbassay Bowah \u2013 Logistics Officer, NDMA<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Wayfa Ciapha \u2013 Purported CEO, Group of 77<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Evelyn Gbee \u2013 Warehouse Manager, GSA<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Our investigation revealed that 25,054 bags of rice, valued at approximately USD $425,918, were unlawfully diverted by the accused. Instead of reaching the intended disaster victims, the rice was stolen through secret and unauthorized meetings, usurpation of NDMA\u2019s statutory authority and removal and distribution of rice without documentation or legal process.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Some suspects have admitted to their roles, confirming a coordinated internal conspiracy and severe abuse of public trust.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Crimes Charged Include:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Theft of Property<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Economic Sabotage<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Misapplication of Entrusted Property<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Abuse of Office<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Criminal Conspiracy<\/p>\n\n\n\n

These crimes for which they were indicted under Liberian law constitute a grave breach of public trust and accountability.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This scandal has inflicted significant damage:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Disaster victims were denied critical food assistance, Saudi Arabia\u2019s generous donation was misused, international trust was undermined, and public confidence in government institutions was further weakened.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This indictment is the first of three investigations completed out of 30 active cases currently under investigation by AREPT. Additional indictments are expected in July. In line with legal procedures, the Government has also issued a ne exeat republica (travel restriction) to ensure that none of the accused flee the country during prosecution.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Under the leadership of Cllr. Edwin Kla Martin, AREPT reaffirms its commitment to investigating, recovering, and prosecuting all instances of public asset theft. This indictment sends a clear message that corruption will not go unpunished. The Taskforce remains fully engaged with national and international partners to restore public trust and ensure that public resources serve the Liberian people.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Signed:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Joseph Daniels<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Head, Public Relations Department<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Asset Recovery and Property Retrieval Taskforce (AREPT)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

+231888414124<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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AREPT Indictment Explained: Former and Current Government Officials Indicted Over Alleged Theft of Saudi Arabia\u2019s Donated Rice Monrovia, Liberia \u2013 June 26, 2025 The Government of Liberia, through the Asset Recovery and Property Retrieval Taskforce (AREPT) in collaboration with the Ministry of Justice, has secured a major indictment against several former and current government officials<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[139,131,136,3,129],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-6189","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","category-investigation","category-media-engagement","category-news-updates","category-newsroom","category-press-release"],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/arept.gov.lr\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6189","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/arept.gov.lr\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/arept.gov.lr\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/arept.gov.lr\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/arept.gov.lr\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=6189"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/arept.gov.lr\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6189\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":6193,"href":"https:\/\/arept.gov.lr\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6189\/revisions\/6193"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/arept.gov.lr\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=6189"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/arept.gov.lr\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=6189"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/arept.gov.lr\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=6189"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}