MONROVIA — Former National Disaster Management Agency (NDMA) Executive Director Henry O. Williams has told Criminal Court “C” that 5,000 bags of Saudi-donated rice meant for the Gbarnga Regional Hub were instead turned over to the Coalition for Democratic Change (CDC).
Williams made the disclosure on Thursday, September 24, while testifying as the seventh defense witness in the ongoing trial involving the alleged mismanagement of Saudi-donated rice.
He was questioned about a May 1, 2023 communication in which he stated that the 5,000 bags approved for the Gbarnga hub had been given to the CDC after the party made a request and concerns were raised about the hub’s storage capacity.
Williams confirmed the communication but said he was not told by his then Deputy Executive Director for Operations, Augustine Tamba, that the rice had been distributed to the CDC.
He said Tamba had earlier written the General Services Agency (GSA) requesting the release of the 5,000 bags for the Gbarnga Regional Hub.
“As I said before, Mr. Tamba under his signature wrote to the GSA to receive the 5,000 bags of rice to be taken to the Gbarnga Regional Hub under his signature,” Williams testified.
Williams said the NDMA’s operations department was responsible for distributing relief supplies, while his role as executive director was mainly administrative.
“As the head of the National Disaster Management Agency, my duty was not to distribute, the department of operation headed by Augustine Tamba was responsible to distribute,” he told the court.
He also denied an allegation that he stole 4,317 bags of rice, saying the rice was distributed to disaster victims and vulnerable people.
“Concerning that allegation, I want to say that I did not steal the 4,317 bags of rice,” Williams said.
Williams testified that the NDMA received 28,412 bags of 25-kilogram rice from the Saudi government. Because the agency lacked enough storage space, 11,200 bags were moved to a GSA warehouse, leaving 18,212 bags at the NDMA.
He said 4,317 bags were later allocated for distribution, but 35 bags were damaged, leaving 4,282 bags that were distributed.
Williams said relief requests were received from disaster victims and vulnerable groups and sent to the appropriate authorities for approval before supplies were released.
He said the rice was intended for disaster victims, vulnerable people, women, children, the elderly and displaced persons, with the quantity given based on the circumstances of each disaster.
“Our threshold [is] determined from the disaster manager perspective,” Williams testified. “The NDMA is not an agency to favor, we look at the gravity.”
The trial is continuing before Criminal Court “C” in Monrovia. Williams and the other defendants have denied the allegations against them.
