When the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia delivered 29,412 bags of rice to Liberia in April 2023, then-Foreign Minister Dee-Maxwell Saah Kemayah stood at the center of the ceremony.
But nearly three years later, he is no longer being remembered simply as the official, who secured the humanitarian assistance.
He is now a defendant in one of the most politically charged corruption cases arising from former President George Weah administration.
On Tuesday, August 18, Criminal Court ‘C’ completed the selection of a 15-member jury to hear the case involving Kemayah, and 12 other former officials, who have pleaded “not guilty.”
Judge Ousman F. Feika has scheduled the trial to resume Wednesday, August 19.
What now unfolds before the jury is a contest between two sharply different narratives.
The prosecution alleged that Kemayah, and other officials interfered with the distribution of 25,054 bags of the Saudi-donated rice, and diverted the commodity from its intended humanitarian purpose to their ‘private homes.’
Kemayah, however, has consistently denied stealing, receiving, or misappropriating the rice.
He has described the prosecution as a political witch-hunt, and insists that the rice was distributed through government institutions responsible for handling relief.
The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, through the King Salman Humanitarian Aid and Relief Centre, provided Liberia with 29,412 bags of 25-kilogram rice, weighing 735,300 kilograms, for distribution to vulnerable people and disaster victims.
Saudi Arabia’s official news agency reported that the rice was handed over to Liberia through Kemayah, who represented the at the ceremony, with the National Disaster Management Agency (NDMA) designated to distribute the commodity to approximately 88,236 beneficiaries.
But records from the period show that Kemayah’s involvement did not end with a ceremonial handshake, but…issued a warning that would become important, years later.
The indictment alleged that Kemayah later became involved in decisions concerning the distribution, and that he moved several other bags away from NDMA control.
Yet, the same historical record established, that the NDMA was identified from the outset as the institution responsible for distribution.
The irony of the case is that Kemayah’s own public statements from 2023 now form part of the context surrounding the controversy.
The indictment, however, later alleged that Kemayah, and other officials “overlapped” their functions, and became involved in decisions concerning the rice.
It specifically accused him of influencing the transfer of 13,895 bags from NDMA to GSA warehouses, and that he instructed former Internal Affairs Minister Varney Sirleaf to oversee distribution.
Kemayah has pleaded not guilty.
The central issue before the jury will therefore be more precise, as to which officials authorized each transfer, who physically controlled the rice, where did each consignment go, and who ultimately received them?
FrontPageAfrica reported at the time that Kemayah, Mary Broh, Thelma Sawyer, and several NDMA officials were detained in connection with the investigation.
