GRAND CAPE MOUNT COUNTY, LIBERIA – A Grand Cape Mount County court has handed down a 20-year prison sentence to a woman convicted of trafficking Liberians into neighboring Guinea through fraudulent job schemes, while also ordering her to pay US$58,000 in restitution to her victims and the Government of Liberia.
Judge Mameita Jabateh-Sirleaf of the Fifth Judicial Circuit Court sentenced Bendu V. Kamara following her conviction for trafficking in persons, concluding that the prosecution had established the case beyond a reasonable doubt.
Under the ruling delivered on Thursday, July 23, 2026, Kamara will serve her sentence at the Zwedru Correctional Facility in Grand Gedeh County.
The case centered on three victims, Mustapha Bafalie, Hawa Buttel, and Mohammed Bafalie, who were allegedly lured with promises of lucrative employment opportunities but instead became victims of an organized trafficking operation.
In addition to the prison term, the court ordered Kamara to pay a total of US$58,000 in restitution. The amount includes US$6,210 to reimburse the victims for money fraudulently obtained from them, US$32,000 as compensation for the physical and emotional suffering they endured, and US$20,000 to the Government of Liberia to offset the cost of housing and protecting the victims in a safe home throughout the judicial proceedings.
Judge Jabateh-Sirleaf said the conviction was supported by compelling evidence presented during the trial, including video recordings, witness testimony, and documentary exhibits. A unanimous jury found Kamara guilty during the May Term of Court, A.D. 2026.
The court also placed significant weight on Kamara’s own testimony, noting that her admission that she received money from one of the victims constituted a confession under Liberia’s criminal procedure laws.
During the proceedings, state prosecutors called seven witnesses, while the defense presented five witnesses, including Kamara herself.
Evidence presented in court indicated that Kamara allegedly worked with her daughter, who resides in Senegal, to recruit individuals with false promises of overseas employment. Once the victims crossed into Guinea, they were reportedly detained by Kamara’s relatives and pressured to send additional money before they could secure their release.
According to the court, the trafficking scheme enabled the perpetrators to extort thousands of dollars from the victims while exploiting their hopes for better economic opportunities.
In her judgment, Judge Jabateh-Sirleaf ruled that Kamara’s conduct satisfied the legal elements of trafficking in persons under Liberian law, describing the offense as the recruitment, transportation, transfer, or harboring of individuals through deception, coercion, or exploitation of their vulnerability for exploitative purposes.
