A Liberian jury has convicted two former cabinet ministers from the Weah administration over the disappearance of more than 25,000 bags of rice donated for disaster relief, according to a report by Guardian Nigeria. Former Foreign Affairs Minister Dee-Maxwell Saah Kemayah and former Internal Affairs Minister Varney A. Sirleaf were found guilty on charges that included theft of property, economic sabotage, misapplication of entrusted property, abuse of office and criminal conspiracy, following a trial that stretched roughly 40 days. A former deputy internal affairs minister was convicted alongside them, while a former deputy foreign affairs minister was acquitted of all charges.
The case centered on a donation of just over 29,000 bags of rice, valued near $425,000, meant for disaster victims and vulnerable Liberians through the National Disaster Management Agency. Investigators found that more than 85 percent of the consignment, over 25,000 bags, could not be traced through the agency's authorized distribution channels.
The jury could not reach a unanimous verdict on two of the counts against Kemayah, theft of property and criminal conspiracy, leaving those charges open to a possible retrial. The convictions mark one of the most significant corruption prosecutions to reach a verdict since Weah left office, and will be watched as a test of how aggressively Liberia's courts are willing to pursue former officials.