Liberia: Sirleaf Rejects Kemayah Directive Claim in Saudi Rice Trial, Says NDMA Board Authorized Transfer

Monrovia – Former Internal Affairs Minister and former National Disaster Management Agency (NDMA) Board Chairman Varney A. Sirleaf has rejected testimony and claims linking former Foreign Minister Dee-Maxwell Saah Kemayah Sr. to the transfer of Saudi-donated rice from the NDMA to the General Services Agency (GSA), insisting that the movement was an inter-agency decision prompted by serious storage and inventory concerns.

Testifying Wednesday as a defense witness before Criminal Court “C,” Sirleaf said Kemayah never instructed him to remove the rice from the NDMA warehouse to the GSA, nor did the former Foreign Minister order a halt to the distribution of the humanitarian donation.

He also denied claims that he and Kemayah usurped or undermined the statutory functions of former NDMA Executive Director Henry O. Williams and the agency’s management.

Sirleaf’s testimony directly challenged the prosecution’s narrative surrounding the movement of 13,895 bags of Saudi-donated rice from NDMA warehouses to the GSA, arguing that the transfer followed concerns about the condition of the rice and the adequacy of NDMA’s storage facilities.

The former minister said an inter-agency assessment found problems including inadequate ventilation, improper stacking and difficulties in accurately accounting for the rice.

He said Saudi representatives also expressed concern about the storage conditions during visits to NDMA warehouses.

According to Sirleaf, the Saudi delegation was particularly concerned about humidity and the condition of the rice and was told that the NDMA management would address the problem, including ensuring that air conditioners were operated to control humidity.

Gbarnga Shipment Triggers Concern

Sirleaf said concerns intensified after 5,000 bags reportedly destined for the NDMA’s Gbarnga Regional Hub could not be accounted for at the destination.

A prosecution witness previously testified that the 5,000 bags never reached the Gbarnga hub.

Sirleaf said the discrepancy prompted inter-agency meetings initiated by Kemayah, who he said considered the matter serious enough to warrant further examination of the handling and storage of the donation.

He testified that an inter-agency technical team reported on April 27, 2023 that the NDMA warehouse had inadequate ventilation and that the rice was poorly stocked, making inventory difficult.

The report, he said, also raised questions about the 5,000 bags reportedly intended for Gbarnga.

‘Kemayah Did Not Halt Distribution’

Sirleaf specifically disputed testimony that Kemayah personally halted distribution of the Saudi rice.

He told the court that, in his capacity as NDMA Board Chairman, he wrote former GSA Director General Mary T. Broh requesting that further distribution be temporarily suspended while an inter-agency technical team examined the situation.

The testimony contrasts with earlier prosecution evidence, including testimony from prosecution star witness Atty. John Kumeh and former NDMA Executive Director Williams, which linked Kemayah to the decision to halt distribution.

Sirleaf said the temporary suspension was intended to allow the government to establish appropriate safeguards for the remaining rice and determine what had happened to the missing consignment.

His lawyer presented letters in court that Sirleaf said documented his communication with Broh concerning the suspension and subsequent resumption of distribution.

The 13,895-Bag Dispute

The transfer of 13,895 bags is a central element of the prosecution’s case.

The indictment alleges that 25,054 of the 29,412 bags donated by Saudi Arabia were diverted or unlawfully distributed, with the government placing the alleged loss at approximately US$425,918.

Prosecution evidence has focused on the movement of 13,895 bags from NDMA to GSA, where rice was already stored.

Sirleaf challenged the prosecution’s calculation and questioned how the transferred rice could be treated as stolen simply because it moved from one government institution to another.

He also disputed testimony concerning the quantities held at the respective facilities and the treatment of the 5,000 bags reportedly destined for Gbarnga.

“How will AREPT take the 13,895 that was taken to GSA Warehouse and add up to 11,200 bags coming up 25,054 bags and the 5,000 bags pre-positioned at Gbarnga, but left it and say we stole?” Sirleaf asked, according to his testimony.

He maintained that the movement of the rice should be understood in the context of the government’s effort to protect the donation amid concerns over storage conditions and inventory control.

‘NDMA Executive Director Was Fully Involved’

Sirleaf also rejected the suggestion that the NDMA’s statutory authority was bypassed.

He said Williams and the NDMA management were involved in the process and disputed testimony suggesting that he independently decided to move the rice.

As Board Chairman, Sirleaf said his responsibility was to provide policy direction and work with the board and the NDMA executive director in addressing issues affecting the agency.

He said the circumstances surrounding the rice required urgent action, particularly as Liberia faced disasters and approached the 2023 elections.

Waiting for a formal board meeting, he argued, could have exposed the rice to further deterioration or loss.

Sirleaf said the GSA warehouse was among facilities certified by the NDMA for storage of the Saudi donation, making the transfer an administrative movement between government institutions rather than a clandestine diversion.

Sirleaf Details Kemayah’s Role

Sirleaf also provided the court with his account of Kemayah’s involvement in securing the Saudi donation.

He said Kemayah informed him while they were in Côte d’Ivoire in August 2022 that he had successfully concluded arrangements with the Saudi government for a donation of approximately US$500,000 worth of rice, totaling 29,412 bags.

According to Sirleaf, Kemayah asked him to help ensure that the donation reached its intended beneficiaries.

Sirleaf said Saudi authorities selected their local vendors for the rebagging process and that he was not involved in that arrangement in his capacity as NDMA Board Chairman.

He said his first major involvement came during the official handover ceremony at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and later during visits to the NDMA and GSA warehouses with Saudi representatives.

At NDMA, he said, the Saudi delegation raised concerns about ventilation and storage conditions.

The delegation later visited the GSA facility, where Sirleaf said the representatives were satisfied with the storage conditions.

Audit Raises Additional Questions

Sirleaf testified that an audit was subsequently commissioned, with a report dated June 7, 2023 raising concerns about the repositioning of the 5,000 bags, the integrity of the rice and the condition of the NDMA warehouse.

He said the warehouse did not meet minimum standards for proper storage.

On July 3, 2023, Sirleaf said he wrote Broh authorizing the resumption of distribution under a protocol requiring requests from disaster-affected areas to be submitted to NDMA.

Under the arrangement, NDMA would review requests and seek approval from the Board Chairman before forwarding them to GSA for distribution.

Sirleaf testified that 17,814 bags were eventually authorized for distribution to identified recipients, with approval letters accompanying the deliveries.

A Different Defense Theory

Sirleaf’s testimony advances a defense theory that the Saudi rice was not secretly diverted but moved amid storage problems, disaster-response demands and concerns over inventory management.

The defense has argued that the 13,895 bags were transferred through an inter-agency process involving NDMA officials and other government institutions.

Former GSA Director General Mary T. Broh also testified earlier that the transfer was carried out under an inter-agency mandate and not for personal benefit.

Former NDMA Executive Director Williams previously testified that he authorized 155 bags for NDMA employees who participated in unloading, transporting and storing the rice, while denying allegations that he stole thousands of bags.

The defense has also introduced video evidence showing distributions of the rice as it seeks to challenge the prosecution’s account of what happened after the Saudi donation entered Liberia.

‘The Indictment Is Not True’

Sirleaf said the allegations had damaged his reputation and questioned why public officials who voluntarily submitted themselves to investigation should be portrayed as having deliberately stolen humanitarian assistance.

He maintained that his actions were aimed at protecting the remaining rice and ensuring that it reached its intended beneficiaries.

“It’s false and misleading,” Sirleaf said in rejecting the claim that Kemayah instructed him to remove the rice from NDMA to GSA or halt its distribution.

He further insisted that neither he nor Kemayah usurped or undermined the authority of Williams or the NDMA management.

The prosecution has presented a different account, alleging that the defendants engaged in unauthorized control, diversion and distribution of the Saudi-donated rice.

The defendants face charges including theft of property, economic sabotage, misapplication of entrusted property, abuse of office and criminal conspiracy.

With Sirleaf’s testimony, the defense has placed the condition of the NDMA warehouse, the unresolved 5,000-bag Gbarnga shipment and the accounting of the 13,895-bag transfer at the center of its challenge to the prosecution’s case.

The trial continues before Criminal Court “C.”