Monrovia — Prosecutors’ case in the Saudi rice trial came under fresh pressure Wednesday when former Internal Affairs Minister Varney A. Sirleaf told Criminal Court “C” that poor storage at the National Disaster Management Agency forced an inter-agency decision to secure the remaining rice — not steal it.
Testifying as a defense witness, Sirleaf reframed the alleged disappearance of more than 25,000 bags as a question of government incompetence, not criminal intent: Can the state’s failure to properly store, inventory and account for the humanitarian rice, by itself, prove the defendants stole it?
His testimony directly challenged prosecutors’ portrayal of the transfer of 13,895 bags from NDMA warehouses to the General Services Agency as unauthorized.
Storage Failures Triggered Transfer
Sirleaf said the decision followed an inter-agency assessment that found serious problems at NDMA, including poor ventilation, improper stacking and conditions that made accurate inventory impossible.
The problems became critical after 5,000 bags destined for NDMA’s Gbarnga regional hub vanished. A prosecution witness testified earlier that the shipment never arrived. Sirleaf told the court that disappearance helped trigger the government’s decision to secure the remaining stock.
An inter-agency technical team reported on April 27, 2023 that the NDMA warehouse had inadequate ventilation and poorly stacked rice, making inventory difficult, Sirleaf said. The report also raised questions about the 5,000 bags reportedly sent to Gbarnga.
Sirleaf said he then wrote former GSA Director General Mary T. Broh requesting that further distribution be suspended pending investigation. An audit followed, with a June 7, 2023 report raising concerns about transparency surrounding the 5,000 bags.
The 13,895-Bag Question
Sirleaf’s testimony targeted the central calculation in the prosecution’s case.
The indictment alleges that 25,054 of the 29,412 bags donated by Saudi Arabia were diverted or unlawfully distributed, worth approximately US$425,918.
Prosecutors have relied heavily on the movement of 13,895 bags from NDMA to GSA, where 11,200 bags were already stored. A prosecution witness testified that the transfer brought GSA’s holdings to approximately 25,095 bags, with a 41-bag discrepancy.
Sirleaf disputed that math.
“How will ARREPT take the 13,895 that was taken to GSA Warehouse and add up to 11,200 bags coming up 25,054 bags and [the] 5,000 bags pre-positioned … at Gbarnga, but left it and say we steal?” Sirleaf asked, according to his testimony.
He called the indictment damaging to his 18-year public service record and said he and others voluntarily submitted to the investigation because they wanted the facts established.
From Storage Problem to Criminal Case
Sirleaf sought to recast the NDMA-to-GSA transfer as a protective administrative measure taken after officials grew concerned about the rice stock’s integrity.
He said disaster conditions continued in Monrovia and elsewhere after the assessment and audit. On July 3, 2023, he wrote Broh authorizing distribution to resume under a protocol requiring disaster-affected areas to direct requests to NDMA.
According to Sirleaf, 13,895 bags were then transferred from NDMA to GSA, where they were combined with approximately 6,200 bags already there, bringing GSA’s stock to about 20,095 bags.
His testimony disputes the prosecution’s characterization of the movement as secret or unilateral. Former GSA Director General Mary Broh testified Monday that the transfer was carried out under an inter-agency mandate, not for personal benefit.
Sirleaf Rejects “Unilateral Decision” Narrative
Sirleaf also rejected prosecution testimony that he independently decided to move the rice and that NDMA Board members were unaware.
He told the court the NDMA Board consists of ministry and agency representatives, and that as Minister of Internal Affairs he was its statutory chair. He said the Internal Affairs Minister chairs the boards of NDMA, the Liberia Refugee Repatriation and Resettlement Commission and the National Identification Registry, while also serving on the National Road Fund Board and the National Security Council.
As board chair, he said, his responsibilities included setting policy direction, guiding implementation and working with the board and its secretary, the NDMA executive director, to convene meetings.
Sirleaf said the circumstances demanded action. With Liberia facing disasters and approaching the 2023 elections, he believed waiting for a formal board meeting could expose the rice to further risk. Convening the board could take months, he said, and questioned what might have happened to the rice had officials waited.
Kemayah’s Role
Sirleaf described former Foreign Minister Dee-Maxwell Saah Kemayah’s involvement differently from the prosecution’s narrative.
He said Kemayah informed him that Saudi Arabia intended to donate approximately US$500,000 worth of rice — 29,412 bags — and sought his help ensuring it reached intended beneficiaries.
The Saudi side selected its own local vendors for rebagging without his involvement as NDMA Board chair, Sirleaf said. His first significant involvement came during the official symbolic handover. His next came after Saudi representatives grew concerned about where the rice was stored.
Sirleaf said he joined Kemayah and the Saudi delegation on visits to NDMA and GSA warehouses. At NDMA, the Saudis raised ventilation concerns. At GSA, Sirleaf said, they expressed satisfaction with storage conditions.
That testimony puts warehouse conditions at the center of the controversy rather than treating the transfer as an isolated decision.
The Gbarnga Mystery
The 5,000 bags reportedly destined for Gbarnga remain a significant point of tension.
A prosecution witness from NDMA testified earlier this month that the shipment never reached the Gbarnga regional hub. He said the largest quantity he personally received during the period was 280 bags.
Sirleaf did not dispute that the Gbarnga delivery became a problem. Instead, he used the discrepancy to argue the government’s subsequent response aimed to protect the remaining stock.
That distinction could prove important as the jury weighs whether evidence of poor inventory control, missing documentation or an undelivered shipment establishes the criminal intent required for the charges.
“The Executive Director Was Fully Involved”
Sirleaf also rejected testimony that NDMA’s statutory authority was bypassed during the transfer. He insisted the NDMA executive director was involved and the agency participated in the inter-agency decision.
He disputed prosecution witness Atty. Kumeh’s account of the transfer and subsequent distribution, calling portions erroneous and unfounded. According to Sirleaf, 17,814 bags were authorized for distribution to identified recipients, with approval letters accompanying deliveries.
He also testified that the original audit report on the Saudi rice monitoring and donation was supposed to remain with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and that he received only a copy for decision-making.
A Different Theory of the Case
Prosecutors have presented the case as an alleged scheme involving unauthorized control, diversion and distribution of humanitarian rice intended for disaster victims. The indictment accuses the defendants of theft of property, economic sabotage, misapplication of entrusted property, abuse of office and criminal conspiracy.
The defense is increasingly presenting a different theory: that the rice moved through government institutions amid storage problems, disaster-response demands, inter-agency coordination and imperfect record-keeping — not through a criminal scheme.
That distinction has grown more pronounced since the defense began presenting witnesses.
Former NDMA Executive Director Henry O. Williams previously testified that he authorized 185 bags for agency employees who helped unload, transport and store the rice, while denying he stole thousands of bags. The defense has also introduced video evidence showing rice distributions, seeking to challenge the prosecution’s account of what happened after the donation entered Liberia.
“The Indictment Is Not True”
Sirleaf ended his testimony with a forceful rejection of the allegations.
He said the indictment damaged his reputation, including relationships with international friends, and argued that officials who voluntarily submitted to the investigation should not now be portrayed as people who deliberately stole humanitarian assistance.
He maintained he acted to protect the remaining rice after problems emerged in its storage and distribution. The allegation that he and his co-defendants stole the Saudi rice is untrue, he said.
Prosecutors allege otherwise. The jury will ultimately determine whether the evidence establishes criminal responsibility beyond a reasonable doubt.
For now, Sirleaf’s testimony has placed storage conditions, the unresolved 5,000-bag Gbarnga shipment and the arithmetic surrounding the 13,895-bag transfer at the center of the defense’s challenge to the state’s case.
The trial continues before Criminal Court “C.”
