Liberia: Kemayah, Sirleaf Convicted in Saudi Rice Case

What the report says

A jury at Criminal Court C in Monrovia has reportedly convicted eight former senior officials from the administration of ex-President George Weah in a case tied to the alleged diversion of rice donated by Saudi Arabia for disaster victims and other vulnerable people in Liberia. The report says the defendants were tried over the handling of 29,412 bags of rice that prosecutors argued were meant for humanitarian relief.

Among those found guilty were former Foreign Affairs Minister Dee-Maxwell Saah Kemayah and former Internal Affairs Minister Varney A. Sirleaf, both said to have been convicted on all five charges, including theft of property, economic sabotage, misuse of public office, criminal conspiracy and misapplication of entrusted property. Other reported convictions included former Deputy Internal Affairs Minister Momolu Johnson, former GSA deputy director Edriss Bility, and former NDMA officials Augustine Kollie, Archievego Menneah-Doe and Henry O. Williams. The article says one of the eight convicted people was not named.

According to the account, the jury reached its decision after weeks of testimony, documentary evidence and rebuttal proceedings. Three defendants were acquitted and verdicts for two others were described as inconclusive. The convictions remain subject to sentencing and possible appeals, and the defense response was not included. The case is significant because it centers on allegations of misuse of foreign humanitarian aid and broader questions of public accountability in Liberia.