By Socrates Smythe Saywon
MONROVIA – Vandalark R. Patricks, political commentator, has called on President Joseph Boakai to immediately dismiss the Minister of Agriculture, Dr. J. Alexander Neutah, following what he describes as the illegal and dubious sale of Salala Rubber Corporation (SRC) to Jetty Rubber Corporation in Margibi County.
In a detailed write-up released on Thursday, August 28, 2025, Patricks raised serious concerns over the process that facilitated the sale of SRC. “Every wrongful act done by SRC up to August 2024 is kept as SRC’s responsibility and not Jetty Rubber Corporation. Jetty Rubber Corporation is only mentioned here, because the process which followed the sale of SRC to Jetty Rubber Corporation is ILLEGAL,” Patricks said.
Patricks described the SRC concession agreement, originally established in 1959, as a “fraud” and criticized the living conditions of the plantation workers. “SRC was originally established in 1959 and has generated over 400 million in revenue. Regrettably, the homes of the workers look exactly where goats and pigs live,” he stated, adding that prior to the takeover by Jetty Rubber Corporation, SRC had faced serious scrutiny over its operations in Margibi.
The commentator questioned whether President Boakai was aware of the terms of the concession agreement and the circumstances of the 5G Jetty Corporation takeover. “As a resident of Margibi, I knew this was ILLEGAL. We critiqued this dubious act because the concession was not ‘ratified’ by the Liberian Legislature. In fact, it violates the established concession laws of our country,” Patricks said. He further accused the legislative caucus of Margibi, along with two sanctioned senators, of deliberately failing to act on the matter despite being aware of the illegal sale.
Patricks condemned Minister Neutah’s role in the process, claiming he “connived with Jetty Corporation to rob the Liberian government” and failed to inform the President that the concession should have gone to the Legislature for ratification as required by law. Citing Article 27 of the SRC concession agreement, Patricks said, “This Concession Agreement shall be binding upon and inure to the benefit of the parties and their respective successors and assigns, provided, however, that the rights and obligations of the Company under this Agreement shall not be transferred or assigned to any third party without the prior written consent of the Government of Liberia, acting through the Legislature.”
Patricks emphasized that SRC had faced documented human rights and legal violations prior to its sale, including complaints filed with the Compliance Advisor Ombudsman (CAO) of the World Bank’s International Finance Corporation. “Knowing that the consequences against SRC would be deadly, and the company would have paid millions in damages, the owner of SRC hurriedly sold the company to Jetty Rubber Corporation to escape lawsuit,” he said.
He called on President Boakai to uphold the Constitution of Liberia by investigating the unratified transfer, arguing that it violates the legislative authority to approve major economic agreements. “President Boakai took oath to protect and defend the Constitution of Liberia. Therefore, the un-ratified transfer of SRC to Jetty Corporation violates our constitution,” Patricks said, urging the establishment of a committee to review the sale and hold accountable those responsible.
The article concluded with Patricks warning that more dubious acts by the Minister of Agriculture would be revealed in subsequent reports, calling for immediate government action to protect the people of Margibi.
