MONROVIA—The high-profile Saudi Rice corruption trial involving 13defendants, including former cabinet ministers and senior government officials, is set to enter its final stage Friday as Criminal Court “C” begins final arguments following weeks of testimony, documentary evidence, and rebuttal proceedings.
The case represents a significant test for the Asset Recovery and Property Retrieval Taskforce (AREPT), whose investigation into the alleged misappropriation of humanitarian rice donated by Saudi Arabia resulted in criminal charges against several former senior government officials.
Among the defendants are former Foreign Affairs Minister Dee-Maxwell Saah Kemayah, former Deputy Foreign Affairs Minister Thelma Sawyer,former Internal Affairs Minister Varney A. Sirleaf, and former National Disaster Management Agency Executive Director Henry O.
Williams.
At the center of the case are 29,412 bags of rice donated to Liberia by the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia in 2023, with an estimated value of about US$500,000. According to the indictment, 25,054 bags became the subject of allegations of unlawful diversion or misapplication. The prosecution has sought to establish whether the rice was properly accounted for and whether the defendants bear criminal responsibility for the alleged irregularities.
The defendants have denied wrongdoing. Through their lawyers, they have argued that the rice was handled through government institutions and that transfers, warehouse records, gate passes, and distribution arrangements do not, by themselves, establish criminal conduct.
Weeks of Conflicting Evidence
The trial has brought before the jury competing accounts of what happened to the Saudi donation after it entered Liberia. Prosecution witnesses testified about the receipt, storage, transfers, and alleged distribution of the rice, while defense witnesses sought to explain the administrative procedures used by government agencies involved in handling the donation.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Ministry of Internal Affairs, the National Disaster Management Agency, and the General Services Agency have all featured prominently in the evidence.
A key issue before the jury has been whether documentation showing rice moving between government facilities is sufficient to establish that the humanitarian assistance ultimately reached its intended beneficiaries.
The prosecution addressed that issue during its rebuttal by calling witnesses connected to communities mentioned in disputed distribution accounts, including Bo-Waterside, Barnersville, and Lakpazee.
The witnesses gave evidence concerning whether the claimed distributions occurred, while defense lawyers challenged their knowledge and the basis of their testimony.
The prosecution also presented testimony from General Services Agency Director General Galakpai W. Kortimai concerning the verification of 720 bags of Saudi-donated rice that remained at the agency after he assumed office in 2024.
The progression of the trial is significant because it moves the Saudi Rice investigation beyond the indictment stage and into the final phase of a jury trial. AREPT has faced public attention over whether investigations and indictments involving former officials would ultimately result in full criminal proceedings.
The Saudi Rice case has now gone through prosecution evidence, defense evidence, and rebuttal, giving both sides an opportunity to present and challenge the evidence before the jury.
That distinction is important in a criminal case. An indictment contains allegations that must be proven in court; it is not itself a finding of guilt. Likewise, the beginning of final arguments does not mean that any of the 13 defendants has been convicted.
The prosecution must still persuade the jury, beyond a reasonable doubt, that the elements of the charges have been established against each defendant. The defense, meanwhile, is expected to argue that the State’s evidence contains inconsistencies and does not establish criminal responsibility.
Final Arguments Friday
With the evidence phase now completed, the focus will shift Friday to the lawyers. Prosecutors are expected to draw together the testimony, documentary evidence, and rebuttal proceedings in an effort to convince the jury that the charges have been proven.
Defense lawyers will make their final case for acquittal, challenging the prosecution’s interpretation of the evidence and emphasizing the defendants’ explanations for the movement and distribution of the rice. The jury will then be left to assess the evidence and determine whether the prosecution has met the required legal standard.
For AREPT, the trial represents a major courtroom test of one of its prominent corruption investigations. For the defendants, it marks the most consequential stage yet in a case that has placed their actions in government under intense judicial scrutiny.
And for the Liberian public, the central question remains whether the evidence presented in court can establish what happened to the Saudi-donated rice and whether the accused are criminally responsible.
