Monrovia, Liberia – Dee-Maxwell Saah Kemayah, former minister of foreign affairs, has denounced his and other former officials’ arrest and imprisonment as a “public witch-hunt” with no legal basis. Kemayah made the statement moments after he was released from Monrovia Central Prison on Thursday, June 26, saying, the government has not shown that the allegations against him are supported by strong evidence.
Along with seven other former officials, Kemayah was detained in relation to the suspected diversion of humanitarian rice supply. He insisted on his innocence and demanded an open and equitable court system.
After obtaining human surety bonds, Kemayah was released on Thursday by Criminal Court “C” along with Mary T. Broh, a former Director-General of the General Services Agency (GSA); Henry O. Williams, a former Executive Director of the National Disaster Management Agency (NDMA); and Thelma Duncan Sawyer, a former Deputy Foreign Minister for Administration.
Three other NDMA executives, meanwhile, are still being held in the Monrovia Central Prison: Augustine Kollie, Director for Response; Rosette Gbeisaye, Director of Logistics; and Acheivego Doe, Director of Communications. According to reports, NDMA Response Officer Edward Konneh is still at large.
The lawsuit is around the purported theft of 29,412 bags of rice, which are worth more than $425,000 USD. The rice was reportedly taken for political and personal purposes after being supplied by the King Salman Humanitarian Aid and Relief Center in April 2023. The food was meant for vulnerable and disaster-affected areas throughout Liberia.
The inquiry was greatly aided by a forensic audit carried out by the General Auditing Commission (GAC). According to reports, the audit found that a significant amount of rice was covertly transferred to private storage facilities, some of which were purportedly connected to candidates for the 2023 election.
Prosecutors charged the accused with a number of crimes, including theft of property, economic sabotage, misuse of public office, and criminal conspiracy, in light of the GAC’s conclusions.
According to reports, the presiding judge of Criminal Court “C,” was not pleased with the manner in which the detention order was issued by the court clerk. Since the order to detain the accused at Monrovia Central Prison was purportedly executed prior to the court signing the final commitment, procedural compliance is questioned. Four defendants have already been freed and legal processes are still underway for others who remain in detention.
