–Investigator Tells Court How 13,895 Bags Were Moved to GSA as Prosecution Outlines Alleged Irregularities
MONROVIA, Liberia — The prosecution’s case in the ongoing Saudi-donated rice trial has turned to the procedures governing the distribution of humanitarian relief supplies and the circumstances surrounding the transfer of thousands of bags of rice from the National Disaster Management Agency (NDMA) to the General Services Agency (GSA).
Atty. John D. Kumeh Sr., Chief Investigator of the Asset Recovery and Property Retrieval Task Force, testified during direct examination, outlining the procedures he said were normally followed by the NDMA when distributing relief supplies to communities affected by disasters.
Kumeh’s testimony is part of the prosecution’s effort to establish how the Saudi-donated rice was handled after its arrival in Liberia and how thousands of bags ultimately came under GSA custody.
How NDMA Relief Distribution Was Supposed to Work
Kumeh told the court that when a community was affected by a disaster, it was required to submit a formal request to the NDMA.
The agency would then dispatch a field supervisor to verify the reported situation before any relief supplies were released.
Following the verification, the field supervisor was required to prepare a report and submit it through the appropriate supervisory channels, ultimately reaching the agency’s Executive Director.
The procedure, Kumeh said, was intended to ensure that relief supplies were distributed based on verified needs.
Rice Distribution Halted After Diversion Reports
According to Kumeh, the NDMA initially began distributing the Saudi-donated rice to disaster victims shortly after the consignment was delivered by Fouta Corporation.
The distribution was subsequently suspended following an instruction attributed to former Foreign Affairs Minister D. Maxwell S. Kemenyah, the investigator testified.
Kumeh said the suspension followed reports that the donated rice was allegedly being diverted for sale on the Liberian market, contrary to its intended humanitarian purpose.
According to the testimony, Kemenyah also indicated that the former President and the Minister of Justice were aware of the decision.
Following the suspension, Kemenyah reportedly established an inter-ministerial committee to investigate the allegations.
Inter-Ministerial Committee Investigates
Kumeh identified Robert Sammy, a former special assistant to the Foreign Affairs Minister, as chairman of the committee.
The committee, according to his testimony, included former GSA Director-General Mary Broh, Henry O. William of the NDMA and former Internal Affairs Minister Varney A. Sirleaf, who at the time served as chairman of the NDMA Board.
Kumeh said the committee held several meetings at the GSA compound as it examined the allegations surrounding the donated rice.
The investigation, he testified, did not establish that the Saudi-donated rice had been sold on the Liberian market.
Despite that finding, the committee recommended that the remaining rice in NDMA custody be transferred to the GSA for safekeeping.
Nearly 14,000 Bags Moved to GSA
Following acceptance of the committee’s recommendation, Thelma Duncan Sawyer, who was then serving as Acting Minister of Foreign Affairs, reportedly instructed the GSA to remove the remaining rice from NDMA custody.
Under Broh’s leadership, the GSA subsequently went to the NDMA and transferred approximately 13,895 bags of rice to its warehouse, according to Kumeh.
The investigator told the court that the GSA already had 11,200 bags of the Saudi-donated rice in storage.
That brought the total quantity reportedly under GSA custody to 25,095 bags.
Kumeh further testified that investigators found 41 bags unaccounted for during the transfer from the NDMA to the GSA.
The discrepancy has become part of the prosecution’s broader examination of how the humanitarian donation was handled and accounted for by government agencies.
Sirleaf’s Role Comes Under Scrutiny
Kumeh’s testimony also returned to the alleged role of former Internal Affairs Minister Varney A. Sirleaf.
The investigator said authorities questioned Sirleaf’s participation on the inter-ministerial committee because of his simultaneous position as chairman of the NDMA Board.
According to Kumeh, investigators determined that Sirleaf participated in the committee’s meetings without obtaining approval from the NDMA Board.
Investigators further alleged that Sirleaf subsequently introduced new procedures for distributing relief items without a formal decision from the Board.
Kumeh testified that statutory members of the NDMA Board were not informed of the decision and that investigators found no Board meeting or formal resolution authorizing the transfer of the rice from the NDMA to the GSA.
Those findings, according to the prosecution’s case, raise questions about whether the transfer was properly authorized under the agency’s governance structure.
Prosecution Alleges Rice Was Later Distributed Elsewhere
The prosecution alleges that subsequent decisions concerning the Saudi donation resulted in portions of the rice being distributed outside its original disaster-relief purpose.
Kumeh testified that recipients or destinations included a group identified as the “77,” the Monrovia Central Prison, as well as other institutions and individuals.
Based on the investigation, Sirleaf was reportedly implicated in allegations involving conspiracy, facilitation and abuse of office.
The testimony forms part of the prosecution’s attempt to establish the chain of decisions through which the rice moved from its original humanitarian purpose into the custody of other government entities and recipients.
Defense Objects During Testimony
During the proceedings, Kumeh was also asked to explain the investigation’s findings concerning co-defendants Thelma Duncan Sawyer and D. Maxwell S. Kemenyah.
Defense counsel objected to the line of questioning, arguing that the issue had already been addressed and that revisiting it would unnecessarily burden the court record.
The court overruled the objection, allowing the prosecution to continue its examination of Kumeh.
His testimony remains part of the prosecution’s effort to connect the decisions surrounding the rice to the individual defendants and establish the factual basis for the charges against them.
US$500,000 Saudi Donation at Center of Trial
The case stems from a 2023 donation by Saudi Arabia of 29,412 bags of 25-kilogram rice, with an estimated value of approximately US$500,000.
The humanitarian consignment was intended to assist disaster-affected communities in Liberia.
Prosecutors allege that more than 25,000 bags were subsequently stolen, misapplied or improperly distributed.
The government’s case centers on how the rice was received, stored, distributed and transferred among government institutions, as well as the decisions made by officials involved in its management.
The prosecution’s evidence is being presented against 13 defendants, all of whom have pleaded not guilty.
Defendants Presumed Innocent
The testimony presented by Kumeh represents the prosecution’s account of the events based on its investigation.
The allegations remain contested, and the testimony has yet to be tested fully through the defense’s presentation of evidence and arguments.
All 13 defendants have pleaded not guilty and remain presumed innocent unless and until the court determines otherwise.
As the trial continues, Kumeh’s account of NDMA procedures, the suspension of the rice distribution, the inter-ministerial investigation and the subsequent transfer of 13,895 bags to the GSA is expected to remain central to the prosecution’s effort to establish what happened to the Saudi donation and whether government officials violated the law in handling it.
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