Former Foreign Minister Dee-Maxwell Saah Kemayah and former Director General, General Services Agency Mary Taryonon Broh, among several other ex-officials, have been thrown in prison on multiple charges, including corruption.
By Lincoln G. Peters
Monrovia, Liberia; June 27, 2025 – Several top officials of the government of ex-President George M. Weah have been sentenced to the Monrovia Prison Compound for multiple crimes, especially corruption.
On June 25, 2025, the Government of Liberia through the Ministry of Justice and the Assert Recovery and Property Retriever Taskforce, through its Chairman, Cllr. Edwin K. Martin indicted the ex-officials.
The defendants faced charges ranging from theft of property, economic sabotage, misused of public money, illegal disbursement of public funds, expenditure of public money, misapplication of entrusted property and abuse of office and power, and criminal conspiracy, among others.
However, those indicted by the state include, Mary Broh, former Director General, General Services Agency; Dee-Maxwell Saah Kemayah, former Minister of Foreign Affairs; Varney A. Sirleaf, former Minister of Internal Affairs, and Telma Sawyer, former Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs/Administration, and widow of deceased intrim President, Dr. Amos C. Sawyer.
The state also indicted Mr. Augustine Tamba, Deputy Director for Operation, National Disaster Management Agency (NDMA); Augustine Kollie, Director for Disaster Victims, NDMA; Henry O. Williams, former Executive Director; Rachievego M. Doe, NDMA Communication Director; Edris Bility, former GSA Deputy Director/Ops.
Furthermore, the state has named Mamie Davies, Assistant Director, GSA; Momolu Johnson, Deputy Minister of Internal Affairs/Adm.; Rosetta L. Gbassay Bowah, Logistics Officer, NDMA; Wayfa Ciapha, purported CEO, Group of Seventh-Seven; Evelyn Ghee, Warehouse Manager and others to be identified, of the City of Monrovia, Liberia as defendants and indictees.
” INDICTMENT WRIT OF ARREST REPUBLIC OF LIBERIA, TO: MAJOR AUSTINE SEINAVULA, SHERIFF, MONTSERRADO COUNTY, R.L. OR HIS DEPUTY, GREETINGS: YOU ARE HEREBY COMMANDED TO ARREST THE LIVING BODIES OF ALL THOSE MENTIONED IN THE WRIT AND OTHERS TO BE IDENTIFIED, DEFENDANTS, NAMED IN THE ABOVE ENTITLED CAUSE OF ACTION, CHARGED WITH THE Commission OF THE ABOVE MENTIONED CRIMES, BASED UPON THE INDICTMENT PREPARED AGAINST THEM BY THE GRAND JURY DULY SELECTED, EMPANELLED, AND SWORN TO INQUIRE IN AND FOR THE PEOPLE OF MONTSERRADO COUNTY, REPUBLIC OF LIBERIA, AND TO FORTHWITH BRING THEM BEFORE THIS HONORABLE COURT, (FIRST JUDICIAL CIRCUIT, CRIMINAL ASSIZES “C” FOR MONTSERRADO COUNTY), SITTING IN ITS MAY TERM, A.D. 2025, ΤΟ ANSWER TO THE SAID CHARGES MENTIONED SUPRA” the write noted.
Based upon the Court’s mandate, on Thursday, June 26, 2025, the Liberian National Police and the Sheriff of Criminal Court “C” arrested and detained former Foreign Minister Kemayah, and Madam Broh along with co-defendants at the Monrovia Central Prison.
The charges, brought by the Assets Recovery and Property Retrieval Task Force under the Ministry of Justice, include economic sabotage, misuse of public funds, theft, abuse of office, and criminal conspiracy.
According to the indictment, the defendants caused the government to lose 25,054 bags of donated rice valued $425,918. The rice, donated by the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia in April 2023 through Fouta Corporation Inc., was intended for disaster-affected communities.
The court has ordered the defendants be held at the Monrovia Central Prison, pending trial. They are expected to be represented by prominent lawyers, including former Associate Justice Kabineh Ja’neh, Cllr. Pearl Brown Bull, and Cllr Milton Taylor. Editing by Jonathan Browne
