⁃ To Control Lucrative Cocoa Trade
Employees of the Liberia Agriculture Commodity Regulatory Authority (LACRA) have expressed anger and confusion following the sudden suspensions of the agency’s Director General, Hon. Christopher D. Sankolo, and Deputy Director, Hon. Chea B. Garley, in what many believe is a politically motivated move orchestrated by high-ranking government officials.
The suspensions came after Deputy Minister Samuel Stevquoah (State Without Portfolio for Special Services) and Presidential Executive Assistant Morine Yaude Nemah allegedly sponsored a smear campaign against Sankolo, who had taken strong measures to combat cocoa smuggling—a scheme reportedly led by LACRA’s own Deputy Director for Operations, Godia Alpha Kortu Gongolee. Employees claim Gongolee’s smuggling operations have deprived the agency of substantial revenue, which instead lined the pockets of a select few.
For weeks before the suspensions, Gongolee openly bragged to LACRA staff and exporters that Sankolo and Garley would soon be removed from office. He allegedly claimed that Stevquoah and Nemah had assured him the president would override the LACRA Board’s recommendations and oust the leadership. When the suspensions unfolded exactly as Gongolee predicted, employees saw it as undeniable proof that Stevquoah and Nemah—not the Minister of Agriculture—were the true power brokers at LACRA.
The situation has raised serious concerns about political interference and corruption within the agency. Staff members allege that Stevquoah and Nemah have been manipulating the Liberia Anti-Corruption Commission (LACC) to protect Gongolee from investigation, despite substantial evidence linking him to smuggling activities. Shockingly, employees say they have submitted detailed dossiers to the LACC, but no meaningful action has been taken against Gongolee or his associates.
Further deepening the scandal, Nemah reportedly called Darlington Smith, Deputy Director-General for Human Resources at the Civil Service Agency (CSA), and instructed him to halt an ongoing investigation into Gongolee’s allies. Employees also accuse Gongolee of spending more time managing Nemah’s private farm in Todee District than performing his duties at LACRA, a glaring conflict of interest that has fueled suspicions of corruption.
Frustrated and disillusioned, LACRA employees are now demanding Gongolee’s immediate dismissal, a transparent LACC investigation, and presidential intervention to stop what they describe as a blatant hijacking of the agency by political operatives.
“This is not just about Sankolo and Garley—it’s about whether LACRA will serve Liberia’s farmers or a smuggling cartel,” one employee said. “If the president does not act, corruption will keep strangling this country’s agriculture sector.”
