A twelve member panel jury at Criminal Court “C” on Friday, October 9, 2026, found eight of the 13 defendants guilty in the trial over the handling of 29,412 bags of rice donated to Liberia by the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.
The verdicts included convictions against former Foreign Affairs Minister Dee-Maxwell Saah Kemayah and former Internal Affairs Minister Varney A. Sirleaf, along with six other defendants.
Three defendants were acquitted, while the jury returned inconclusive verdicts for two others. That is hung verdict.
The case centers on the alleged diversion of rice donated in 2023 to support disaster victims and vulnerable communities across Liberia.
The indictment alleged that 25,054 of the 29,412 bags, valued at approximately US$500,000, were unlawfully diverted or misapplied instead of being distributed to the intended beneficiaries.
The defendants listed among those convicted are Kemayah, Sirleaf, former Deputy Internal Affairs Minister Momolu Johnson, former General Services Agency (GSA) Deputy Director Edris Bility, and former National Disaster Management Agency (NDMA) officials Augustine M. Kollie, Edward S. Konneh, Archievego M. Doe and Rosetta L. Gbassay Bowah.
According to the individual verdict returned, Kemayah, Sirleaf, Johnson and Bility were found guilty of all five charges: theft of property, economic sabotage, misuse of public office, criminal conspiracy and misapplication of entrusted property.
Kollie and Archievego Menneah-Doe were found guilty of three charges each: misapplication of entrusted property, abuse of office and criminal conspiracy.
Former National Diaster Management Agency (NDMA) Executive Director Henry O. Williams was also found guilty of economic sabotage in the individual verdict list returned by the twelve (12) member panel jury on Friday.
Former Deputy Foreign Affairs Minister Thelma Duncan-Sawyer was found not guilty of all charges in the verdict returned by the twelve member jury, noting she has been acquitted of all charges.
The case followed an investigation by AREPT into the handling of 29,412 bags of rice donated by Saudi Arabia in 2023.
The rice was meant to help disaster victims and vulnerable Liberians who needed food assistance. Prosecutors alleged that a large portion of the donation was diverted or misapplied.
The trial examined the handling of the rice and the roles of officials involved in its management and distribution. The verdicts have brought the case to a major turning point after weeks of testimony and the presentation of documentary evidence.
Reacting to the verdicts, AREPT Chairman Cllr. Edwin Kla Martin said the Taskforce was prepared to defend the outcome if the convicted defendants took their cases to the Supreme Court.
“We are prepared. Definitely when they go to the Supreme Court, we will equally go there and defeat them there,” Martin said.
AREPT thanked the state prosecutors, investigators and other professionals who worked on the case. The Taskforce said it respected the judicial process and the rights of all parties, including the right to appeal.
The agency also reaffirmed its commitment to pursuing corruption cases, recovering unlawfully acquired public assets through lawful means and protecting national resources.
The verdicts mark an important stage in the case, but the legal process may continue if any of the convicted defendants challenge the jury’s decision.
The sentencing details were not included in the information provided for this report and should be confirmed from the court’s records.
The case has drawn public attention because the rice was donated to help some of Liberia’s most vulnerable people. The final court record will be important in establishing the outcome for each of the 13 defendants and the next steps in the proceedings.
