MONROVIA – A group of employees identifying themselves as “Concerned Mining Agents” at the Ministry of Mines and Energy has written President Joseph Nyuma Boakai, Sr., alleging widespread corruption and unethical practices involving senior officials of the ministry.
In a letter dated August 8, 2025, the agents claimed that three senior officials, Director of Mines Alwell Aloysius Carr, Assistant Minister of Mines Carlos Tingban Edison, and Deputy Minister for Operations Williams S. Hines, have engaged in “assigning volunteers in the field to unlawfully collect funds on their behalf.”
The letter, a copy of which has been circulated to the media, states: “It has come to our knowledge through the diligent work and testimonies of committed agents that serious ethical violations and corrupt practices have emerged within the upper echelons of the Ministry of Mines. Specifically, there is compelling evidence that the Director of Mines, Alwell Aloysius Carr, the Assistant Minister of Mines, Carlos Tingban Edison, and the Deputy Minister for Operations, Williams S. Hines have engaged in assigning volunteers in the field to unlawfully collect funds on their behalf.”
The agents accused Director Carr of personally receiving cash from Chinese nationals allegedly engaged in illegal mining. The letter cited an incident in June where Carr reportedly accepted $5,000 from a Chinese operator in Bentol City and another in July when he allegedly took $15,000 from Chinese miners in Grand Cape Mount County. They further alleged that Carr and other senior officials routinely collect money from agents before validating mining licenses.
Regarding Assistant Minister Edison, the agents wrote: “This young man who was forced on the ministry by the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Madame Sarah, has turned the department of mines into a tax collection center for his personal benefit. He has assigned all of his family members in productive mining districts to report to him on a daily basis.” The letter went on to accuse Edison of amassing wealth through illegal payments from miners, citing his alleged ownership of multiple businesses and vehicles acquired since his appointment.
Deputy Minister Hines was also accused of directing subordinates to seize vehicles and money from Chinese nationals detained for illegal mining. “Months back, we arrested some Chinese folks from the South East and brought them to the Ministry of Mines and Energy. Unfortunately for us, Minister Hines sent his driver and his boys … to carry all of the cars to his house on the Robertsfield Highway and collected a huge amount of money from them,” the agents alleged.
The mining agents said their work in remote areas has been undermined by such corruption, which they argue enriches a few while tarnishing the ministry’s reputation. “Mr. President, we cannot be sleeping in bushes, walking hours, riding motorbikes for 3-4 hours making sure that miners take licenses, and we have a few ministers enriching themselves,” the letter stated.
They urged President Boakai to overhaul the ministry’s leadership. “It’s now time you change the entire leadership at the Ministry of Mines and Energy because we didn’t vote for these kinds of wicked behaviors from Minister Paye and his likes. Mr. President, please don’t be fooled by those beautiful reports you received from them, and the renovation of those buildings. Plenty nasty things are ongoing there.”
The agents warned that such corruption undermines Liberia’s image and threatens investment in the mining sector. “These actions represent a blatant misuse of power and a gross violation of the trust that the citizens of Liberia have placed in their leaders. This not only tarnishes the reputation of the Ministry of Mines and Energy but also sets a dangerous precedent that may encourage further corrupt practices,” they wrote.
The letter, which was copied to the U.S. Embassy, the European Union, the Swedish Embassy, Liberian lawmakers, and the media, concluded with a direct appeal to the President: “We implore you, Mr. President, to take immediate and decisive action to investigate these allegations and address the corruption that threatens the very framework of our Ministry. The people of Liberia deserve a mining sector that operates with integrity, transparency, and respect for the law.”
Since the August 8 letter, neither the Ministry of Mines and Energy nor the officials named have issued a public response to the allegations.
