The trial involving the alleged misappropriation of Saudi-donated rice in Liberia has reached its final stage. The prosecution and defense are scheduled to deliver closing arguments before the jury on Friday, October 9, 2026, at 8:00 a.m. This development follows Wednesday's court sitting where the prosecution presented its final rebuttal witnesses, marking the end of the evidentiary phase of the trial.
The case centers on the handling and distribution of 29,412 bags of 25-kilogram rice donated by the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia to Liberia. The prosecution alleges that a substantial portion of the donation was unlawfully diverted, while the defense challenges the State's accounting of the rice and the alleged criminal responsibility of the accused. The prosecution has maintained that 25,054 bags were at issue in the indictment, valued at approximately US$425,918.
Throughout the trial, prosecution witnesses have sought to establish how the Saudi donation moved from government storage to various institutions and beneficiaries. Former Internal Affairs Minister Varney A. Sirleaf, who chaired the NDMA Board, previously testified that the transfer of rice from the National Disaster Management Agency (NDMA) to General Services Agency (GSA) warehouses was an institutional decision. He rejected suggestions that former Foreign Affairs Minister Dee-Maxwell Saah Kemayah directed him to move the rice.
Kemayah, one of the defendants, has consistently denied the allegations against him. He testified in his own defense, stating that he did not steal any of the Saudi-donated rice and that his involvement was connected to facilitating the donation between Liberia and Saudi Arabia. His testimony challenged the prosecution's characterization of the rice's movement and the role of government institutions.
The defense has argued that administrative decisions involving the rice should not, by themselves, constitute evidence of criminal conduct. The prosecution's final rebuttal on Wednesday provided an opportunity to respond to the defense through rebuttal evidence before both sides rested their cases. With the evidentiary phase now closed, the focus shifts to legal and factual arguments.
The court's order requiring post-trial memoranda will further narrow the legal issues arising from the evidence presented during the trial. The memoranda will contain legal authorities and citations on which the parties intend to rely as the court moves toward jury instructions. For the jury, Friday's final arguments will provide the prosecution and defense with their last opportunity to interpret the evidence before deliberating.
The case has moved beyond competing accounts presented by witnesses, and the central question is whether the evidence presented is sufficient to sustain the charges against the defendants. All parties and their legal counsel have been ordered to appear for Friday's proceedings. The defendants remain presumed innocent unless proven guilty according to law.
Key points
- The trial involving the alleged misappropriation of Saudi-donated rice in Liberia has reached its final stage with the prosecution and defense set to deliver closing arguments.
- The prosecution alleges that 25,054 bags of rice, valued at US$425,918, were unlawfully diverted.
- The defendants, including former Foreign Affairs Minister Dee-Maxwell Saah Kemayah, have denied the allegations and challenged the State's accounting of the rice.
