Labor Minister Cooper W. Kruah is reportedly facing intense scrutiny after documents surfaced showing he unilaterally granted a six-month work permit waiver to 42 Chinese nationals.
This, the report said, “completely sidestepping legal procedures and official records.”
According to The Liberian Investigator, Minister Kruah issued the controversial waiver on May 12, 2025, to Bangli PTE LTD, a subcontractor for China Union in Bong Mines.
The letter, personally signed and sealed by Kruah, allows the foreign technicians to work from May 13 to November 13, without proper documentation, job vetting, or any reference to the country’s Decent Work Act.
The move not only raised red flags about transparency and legal compliance, but also triggered fears of massive revenue leakage.
Sources inside the ministry alleged that Bangli paid over US$33,600, roughly US$800 per worker directly to the Minister or his agents, completely bypassing government revenue channels.
No official receipts or payment records were attached to the waiver, deepening suspicions of corruption.
“This is a complete betrayal of Liberian workers,” said Montserrado County Senator Abraham Darius Dillon, who has repeatedly blasted the Ministry’s “opaque and reckless” handling of foreign employment.
“Our people are being trained, yet jobs are being handed to foreigners in the dark.”
Even more damning is the fact that the waiver was excluded from the Ministry’s 2024 work permit report to the Senate, which listed 10,117 permits, but made no mention of the 42 Chinese workers. Kruah has already come under fire for issuing over 8,000 permits without job descriptions or proof of compliance with labor laws.
Under Regulation No. 17 (2019), informal jobs must be reserved for Liberians, and all vacancies must be publicly advertised. Yet, Bangli’s request letter, dated the same day as the waiver, simply asked for “temporary work permits,” a category that doesn’t even exist under current Liberian law.
With pressure mounting, lawmakers are now hinting at possible contempt charges against Minister Kruah. Meanwhile, the public is left wondering as to who is really benefiting from the country’s foreign labor policies, and at what cost? By: Ablee-Jay TV Staff Writer