MONROVIA – The highly anticipated prosecution of the US$500,000 Saudi Rice scandal has been abruptly halted after the Supreme Court of Liberia issued a writ of prohibition filed by co-defendant Thelma Duncan Sawyer, temporarily suspending all proceedings. The Asset Recovery and Property Retrieval Taskforce (AREPT), headed by Cllr. Edwin Kla Martin, disclosed on November 13, 2025, that the trial was set to begin today, Friday, November 14, 2025, before the writ unexpectedly froze the process.
AREPT, in a press release signed by its Public Relations Officer Joseph F. Daniels, said it had fully prepared for the November Term of Court, having organized all evidentiary materials and secured witnesses ready to testify on behalf of the Republic of Liberia. The sudden intervention by Justice in Chambers, Her Honor Jamesetta H. Wolokollie, has now forced a temporary halt until a scheduled conference on December 2, 2025.
The case, one of the most politically sensitive corruption prosecutions in recent years, centers around a 2023 donation of 29,412 bags of rice from the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia intended for Liberia’s disaster victims. According to AREPT’s investigations, more than 25,000 bags were illegally diverted during the former Coalition for Democratic Change (CDC) administration, amounting to approximately US$500,000 in losses to the Liberian people.
Indictments from a special grand jury named several former officials, including ex-Foreign Minister Dee-Maxwell Saah Kemayah, former GSA Director Mary Broh, former National Disaster Management Agency (NDMA) Director Henry O. Williams, and Thelma Duncan Sawyer, who once served as Deputy Minister for Foreign Affairs. Investigators allege that Sawyer and Kemayah acted outside the NDMA’s authority by holding secret meetings at the General Services Agency where the rice was redirected without accountability.
Court documents reveal detailed accounts of rice being removed from the NDMA’s custody and transported to GSA facilities, where it was reportedly shared, distributed without proper records, or disposed of in ways that investigators described as “criminally suspicious.” Charges brought forward include theft of property, economic sabotage, criminal conspiracy, misapplication of entrusted property, and abuse of office, all tied to what has become known as one of the most egregious aid-diversion scandals in recent Liberian history.
The Supreme Court’s writ of prohibition has therefore created a significant pause in what many believed would be a defining moment for the Boakai administration’s anti-corruption drive. Justice Wolokollie’s order compels both Judge Ousman Feika of Criminal Court “C” and AREPT Chairman Martin to appear for legal conference in early December, during which arguments for and against the continuation of the trial will be heard.
Despite the delay, AREPT insists it remains firm in its pursuit of accountability. The task force reaffirmed its “uncompromising commitment to transparency, accountability, and the rule of law,” stressing that the legal setback will not weaken its determination. The agency said it will continue all active investigations involving former and current government officials linked to unexplained wealth, suspicious assets, and alleged theft of public property.
The Saudi Rice scandal continues to evoke strong public reactions. For many Liberians, the case represents decades of frustration with systemic corruption, misuse of foreign aid, and the perception that powerful individuals routinely evade justice. Civil society organizations and anti-corruption activists have described the Supreme Court’s intervention as a “critical moment that will determine whether Liberia’s fight against impunity is real or rhetorical.”
Meanwhile, some of the accused maintain their innocence and allege political targeting. Former officials from the CDC administration have repeatedly dismissed the indictment as unjust and selectively applied. However, AREPT and state prosecutors remain convinced that the evidence against the defendants is robust, comprehensive, and sufficient to sustain a conviction once proceedings resume.
